I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Today we are taking a departure from the usual crafting or recipe post to talk about an important issue. I’m pretty much going to beg you to read this whole post, because you never know when this information might become useful to you. I am talking about opioid dependence. In laymans terms, that is addiction to opiates. There are both legal prescribed drugs as well as illicit drugs in the opioids category. In fact, most of the pain medicines your doctor would prescribe are opioids. Heroin is an example of an illegal opiate.

Now we know what opioids are, let’s talk about dependence. Addiction or dependence occurs when your brain fools your body into thinking that the opioid is necessary for survival. Opioid dependence is a chronic medical disease. It can be treated with behavioral changes and medicine.

Let’s do a little visualization exercise. Picture in your mind a drug addict. Do you see someone that is dirty and disheveled? What about track marks in their arms or maybe they have the shakes? Maybe you pictured someone pan handling on the streets. Did you picture your neighbor down the street? What about the father of two with a career and a stable home life? Did you see your waitress from lunch, the bag boy, the carpet cleaner, or even the woman that sits two pews in front of you at church? Opioid dependence is a big problem effecting approximately 2 million Americans and any of those people I just listed could be suffering from it.

I have seen with my own eyes how devastating opioid dependence can be for both the individual suffering and their entire family. The stories I know are not mine to share, but that is why the opportunity to become an Ambassador for opioid dependence is so important to me. Opioid dependence can be an unwanted side effect of proper prescription drug use, but don’t let that be an excuse from getting treated.

There are lots of problems associated with opioid dependence, but here is what I see as the biggest one. The shame and embarrassment of becoming dependent on opioids prevents people from getting help. For a lot of people, it starts out with a legitimate prescription. Opioids are not inherently bad, and in fact they help a lot of people. The problem arises if you become dependent on them.

Turntohelp.com is an online resource that can help you identify signs and symptoms, learn about treatment options, and find a doctor all while maintaining your privacy. You don’t have to go through this alone, so why would you want to? I encourage everyone to visit Turntohelp.com and at least view the signs and symptoms. Don’t bury your head in the sand and assume that your life could never be effected by this. Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic levels and if it doesn’t effect you directly, there is a good chance it could effect someone you know.

Below, I am including an infographic with a lot of information about opioid dependence. It shows how people and doctor’s perceive opioid dependence. I encourage you to read it and see where you fall in your awareness.

There is a lot of stigma attached to being an “addict”. It is my genuine hope that if you suffer from opioid dependence or really any kind of addiction that you reach out and get the help that you need. If you know someone struggling, please encourage them to get help. You can’t save them or change them yourself, but you can encourage them to take a step in the right direction.