addiction – Moore County Edition

Nov

02

2022

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LOVELL: Brian Part 2 — God’s Campus in Sandhills

Opinionsaddiction, Adult and Teen Challenge of Sandhills, Brian's Story, editorial, NC, op-ed, opinion, opioids, recovery

Brian told the rest of his story. Brian came out of rehab clean but not committed. He sought drugs immediately. He had become an expert at deception, staying just ahead of getting caught by his family and friends. He had learned how to beat the system and fake the drug tests. In seven months, he had lost another girlfriend, another forty pounds, and a future. Desperate to find a life, he switched to Tamerol, an accepted synthetic opioid, and enlisted in the Navy. The night before his deployment, he was arrested. Brian said he landed in “God’s campus,” a…

LOVELL: Brian’s story – part I

Opinionsaddiction, editorial, fentanyl, health, opinion, opioids

Brian told his story. He was raised in Moore County, good athlete, solid student. His three older brothers were adequate role models, each for different reasons; one was fun, another was creative, the oldest had ambition. His parents were together in their home and in their faith. In community college, he branched out a bit and began to party with friends, taking his first drink at a beach party; Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He did not abuse alcohol, but he did use it to be cool, fit in and attract girls. One night at a party, he downed an “OC,”…

BUDD: Making a difference in the opioid crisis

Opinionsaddiction, opioid crisis, prescription drugs, rep. ted budd

It has become clear that after years of progress, the COVID-19 pandemic has aided in the opioid crisis spiraling out of control once again. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record high of 93,331 drug overdose deaths. The vast majority of those deaths were related to opioids. Given the immense human suffering that swept through the country due to opioid overdoses, it is imperative to act quickly to prevent this crisis from gripping more Americans in addiction. First and foremost, we need to help create off-ramps from addiction, and that starts with making certain treatment drugs…