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The Film You Don’t
Want to Miss: “Prescription Thugs” at
the Tribeca Film Festival
This weekend is the start of the Tribeca Film Festival. At
the festival, the documentary film, “Prescription
Thugs,” will be screened. I am honored to
be featured in this film and to help educate the public about the grave danger
that is posed by the abuse of prescription medications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that
prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions. The CDC states:
“Since 1999, the amount of prescription
painkillers prescribed and sold in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled, yet there
has not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans report.
Overprescribing leads to more abuse and more overdose deaths.”
The Washington Post continues
the grim statistics.
“Overdosing is
now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, accounting for
more deaths than traffic fatalities or gun homicides and suicides. Fatal
overdoses from opiate medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone
have quadrupled since 1999, accounting for an estimated 16,651 deaths in 2010.”
Every day, 44 people die from
prescription painkiller overdose; that’s 16,000 people a year. In 2011, more
than 40,000 people died
from drug overdoses in the USA; the greatest percentage of them opioid overdose
deaths. The situation is utterly out of control. The CDC
writes that, “Enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to
medicate every American adult around-the-clock for a month.” That kind of overprescribing is simply
unacceptable.
Statistics are well and good in defining the scope of the problem, but
they do not give insight into the human toll prescription drug abuse is taking
on our nation. That’s why I’m so proud to be part of the “Prescription Thugs” film project. Chris Bell, the
film’s producer and director, has provided personal insight into the ways in which prescription drug
abuse affects individual people, especially elite athletes.
In professional
sports, it’s almost expected that athletes will take all sorts of drugs. For
example, we, the fans, expect top athletes to play through the pain of heavy
contact sports including football, and then are scandalized when it turns out
that many of these athletes are abusing painkillers. Is it right for us to hold
this kind of standard?
But regular
individuals in the United States do the same. We have become a nation of people
that expects to feel no discomfort. It is unrealistic to expect this to be
the case, especially after surgery, many motor vehicle accidents, for those
with chronic pain conditions, and some forms of cancer. Yet far too many people
ask for and receive painkillers for the slightest, transient pain conditions,
such as toothache or in some cases even flu! While national and state
governments have taken action to curb this over-prescribing of painkillers, the damage is
already done. When individuals can’t get their hands on prescription pills,
they often switch over to heroin, a cheaper and more easily accessible
substance in the same opioid family.
Is there a
concerted effort being made to get people hooked on prescription painkillers?
I’ll let you watch the film “Prescription Thugs” and look at the research to come to a conclusion on your
own. What I can tell you without reservation is that there is hope of recovery
if you or someone you love is misusing or has become addicted to opioid drugs
such as oxycodone, hydrocodone or even heroin. There are also proven forms of
pain management that can help you cope with chronic pain without the dangerous
and dulling effects of prescription pain medications. Acupuncture and yoga in combination, for example, can make a real positive difference in
relieving pain symptoms. There is hope.
No matter how
much of a grip prescription drugs have on you, seek the assistance of a
quality, evidence-based treatment facility. You don’t have to become a
statistic. There can be a wonderful life to be had after overcoming opioid
addiction.
