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[TRUISM]

Prescription Painkiller And Heroin Abuse: Do You Have A Story To Share?
By Sue Thoms | on April 19, 2015 at 7:38 AM
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Dr. Dan Erck, left, and Brandon Hool train staff at the Red Project's Clean Works program in overdose reversals on Thursday, February 26, 2015. The program trains people in giving someone naloxone to reverse an overdose of heroin or other opiates and save a life. The program has trained more than 1,200 people since 2008 and has had close to 200 overdose reversals reported back to them. (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com)




Painkillers are causing great pain in our community.

From Heartside shelters to high-end homes in the suburbs, prescription drugs and heroin are leading to dependence, addiction, overdose and death.

MLive and The Grand Rapids will examine the deadly toll of opiates in West Michigan, the causes and the consequences. We would like to tell the stories of people affected by this growing public health crisis.

If you would like to share your story, please let us know. We are interested in hearing from people living in recovery, as well as the stories of loved ones lost to opioid drug abuse.

In the past 20 years, drug overdose deaths have quadrupled in Kent County. A similar picture is seen across Michigan and the U.S. In many areas, drug overdose is claiming more lives than car accidents.

In 2013, 37 percent of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. involved medications prescribed to treat pain, such as oxycodone, morphine and methadone. Addiction to painkillers is believed to fuel a growing market for heroin, a more potent and more deadly drug. Deaths related to heroin jumped 39 percent in just one year.

The federal government is undertaking a number of efforts to address this problem, such as updating prescription guidelines, promoting overdose reversal kits and expanding substance abuse treatment.

The statistics and the programs show only part of the picture, however. This is a human issue, one that affects individuals and families at a personal level.

In those individual stories, we see what is at stake as our community, state and nation grapple with this crisis.

If you are willing to talk to a reporter, please contact us. Send an email to [e-mail] and let us know a few details of your story. Please include your name, age, where you live, and your contact information.





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