How Opioids Affect Society

Opioids have been apart of history since 3400 B.C (“A Brief History Of Opioids”). The first time the poppy plant was brought up was in Mesopotamia, and has been educated all over the world every since (“A Brief History Of Opioids”). Although some believe anesthetic drugs are useful, they have had negative effects of society because of their side effects, addiction related issues, and dependency in America.

Some would say anesthetic drugs are useful because they help treat people with pain. Which is true, but opioids have negative effects due to addiction. A statistic shows that, “In 2009, the abuse of prescription painkiller drugs accounted for more than 475,000 emergency room visits ” (“10 Opiate Addiction Statistics You Should Know About”). This shows that even though the opioids drugs help get rid of the pain many people they end up becoming addicted to them later on. Which can cause them to lead into harder substances such as heroin. “Data collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse show as many as 4.2 million

Americans reported using heroin at least once in their lives” (“10 Opiate Addiction Statistics You Should Know About”).
There has been a negative effects on anesthetic drugs due to the side effects.

From the opioid drugs. One side effect is sedation,which can calm someone down or make them sleepy (“The Effects of Opiate Use”). This has affected society because of the side effects ,it changes people lives by calming them down it creates a escape from the reality a patient is in. Which can cause one to get heavily addicted and use them for a long period of time. The side effects from long opioid abuse are dependence,liver damage,brain damage (“The Effects of Opiates”). The brain damage can lead to respiratory depression as well according to the article called, “The Effects of Opiates”. This is important to society because it makes one realized that all drugs have side effects and Americans rely on the doctors making them feel safe. Not only is society affected by the side effects of anesthetic drugs, they are also affected because of the addiction related

issues.
“As of 2010, opiate addiction statistics show over 12 million Americans reported using prescription pain medications for non-medical purposes without having obtained an actual prescription” (“10 Opiate Addiction Statistics You Should Know About”). In America overdoses related to the opioid drugs have increased which has had negative effects on society because more people are getting addicted everyday, and nothing is being done about it. “For every one million Americans, almost 50,000 doses of opioids are taken every day. That is four times the rate in the UK” (Amos). This quote shows that this epidemic is not a worldwide problem and that it is only happening in the United States. There are many reasons why this epidemic is becoming a problem in America. Television is also creating a rise in the opioid epidemic says Owen Amos, “According to the research firm Kantar, spending on advertising by pharmaceutical companies in the US reached $6.4 billion in 2016 - a rise of 64% since 2012”. Another reason why the opioid epidemic has increased is because doctors over prescribe painkillers to their patients. Opioids are addictive because they help relieve pain, and the American culture is dependent on them.
Americans have become dependant on painkillers because in their culture they want to be pain free. If someone compared the United States to Europe in the way each country is views pain differently. Most Europe countries have universal healthcare, while Americans have to get their own insurance (Amos). This affects society because certain insurances do not cover what Americans actually need (Amos).
"Say you have a patient that's 45 years old. They have lower back pain, you examine them, they have a muscle spasm. Really the best thing is physical therapy, but no one will pay for that. So doctors get very ready to pull out the prescription pad. Even if the insurance covers physical therapy, you probably need prior authorisation (from the insurer) - which is a lot of time and paperwork" (Amos). This quote explains that because of American culture, people have become economically dependent on opioids, and insurance companies are not helping this epidemic decrease by not providing what a patient actually needs. America is becoming dependent on anesthetic drugs and it is having an affected on society because there has been an increase in overdoses due to opioid drugs.
“Among the more than 64,000 drug overdose deaths estimated in 2016, the sharpest increase occurred among deaths related to fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (synthetic opioids) with over 20,000 overdose deaths” (National Institute On Drug Abuse).
Throughout society anesthetic drugs have had many benefits, but it has negative effects on society because of its side effects, addiction related issues, and its dependency in America. In the United States, Americans are going to have to find a new way to improve on these issues involving anaesthetic drugs.