Stigma against addictive drugs limits our ability to end the opioid epidemic
Some of the recently available data has brought welcome news in the fight against the opioid epidemic nationwide. After months of excessive deaths, after the Internet pandemic (a time of loneliness and struggle for many Americans), we seem to be turning the trend.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that overdose deaths peaked in August 2023, but in the twelve months since that time, drug-flooded deaths have decreased by about sixth.
This is an encouraging trend. But even with a significant reduction, we still have to consider the fact that 90,000 Americans died from opioid addiction during this period. That's about the population of Santa Barbara, California. Although the trajectory of overdose death is positive, we still have a lot to do to further reduce addiction, overdose and death.
It is crucial to continue this progress to ensure that those in need have access to effective opioid treatment plans, such as those that include medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
Three FDA-approved drugs for opioid use disorders are buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone – all of which have proven to be safe and effective. These drugs are considered the golden standard treatment and can help patients prevent or reduce overdose by alleviating withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
In a representative example of the scientific literature on Murd, a study by the National Institute of Health funded found that methadone helped adults struggling with addiction reduce the risk of excessive death by 59%.
Although MOUD can be of great help in suppressing overdoses, it is unlikely that patients will produce maximum efficiency unless they are combined with personalized care provided through consultation.
The Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration tells us that this combination provides a “all-patient” approach that can help people overcome drug use disorders and maintain recovery. The expert consensus on the efficacy of this approach is why federal law requires consulting for opioid treatment programs.
But despite the decline in excess death toll, acceptance of Muder still seems to be stagnant. Even though research and personal experience repeatedly reflects the effectiveness of Murder, the stigma of this approach and medication remains, complicating efforts to help more people treat their opioid use disorders.
This stigma usually stems from the fact that methadone and buprenorphine activate receptors in the brain similarly to opioids. The difference is that these drugs activate receptors more slowly, and for opioid-dependent people, they activate receptors in a way that does not produce euphoria. This is what keeps the patient going on, and the possibility of recurrence is less likely.
These characteristics of the drug lead to some people in the therapeutic ecosystem mistakenly thinking that Muder is better than heroin itself. Proponents of this view have made misleading claims, such as the use of Moud just replaces one opioid with another.
For some people, although the risk of overdose is much higher, complete abstinence (including from MOUD) is the only appropriate treatment option.
Some organizations, including the Anonymous chapter of Narcotics and the Salvation Army facilities, discourage the use of MOUD, treat members with inferior MOUD, and sometimes even ask members not to return when using Moud. Other patients will encounter detox facilities, sober residences and rehabilitation centers that reject this vital resource for treating addiction.
This inability to make MOUD access unsettling. A 2023 federal government survey found that more than 40% of more than 14,000 treatment facilities did not provide methadone or buprenorphine.
The rejection of Mudd is a tragic misunderstanding of effective drugs, leading to avoidable overdoses rather than improving health outcomes.
Policymakers should ensure taxpayer-funded efforts make treatments more accessible to support opioid treatment programs, providing reliable benefits for MOUD and consultation. In addition, professionals in the field of addiction should seize every opportunity to deal with the harmful stigma of Murd and enhance their ability to help patients recover.
The opioid epidemic is showing signs of decline. If we are to continue this progress, we must do better to embrace effective treatment and fight dangerous stigma. When we face an epidemic as widespread and deadly as opioid addiction, we should use all the tools available to save lives and protect individuals.
Photo: Moussa81, Getty Images
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