Story by Harlequin Sullivan and Ella Penna, Shepaug Valley High School
Almost 9,000 teens and children died from prescription and opioid poisonings in the United States between 1999 and 2016 alone. On average, everyday in Connecticut 3 people die from drug overdose. This may seem like a small number to some, but drugs are an epidemic striking the nation.
One grieving mother said, “Drugs are very destructive we lost our son my daughter lost her brother they were very close and although we will go on it will never be the same you don't ever get over it.”
The question is :Why do some people use drugs and others don’t. The prosecutor said: “There's a number of reasons why some people may use drugs people start out people start out cases of people start out because they were given a prescription off of her painkillers so that might be a reason that they start.”
A study found that 8 out of 10 people who started using heroin abused painkillers first. But opioids are not only being abused due to doctor prescription. They are other non medical reasons. For instance, peer pressure and experimenting. A Shepaug Valley Student, Tiernan Crossley, “A kid I was friends with in Middle School we were just best friends he went one way and I with the other change the friendship forever. Teenagers use drugs to get away from the stress of high school life in general I think for them it's an easy way out but it really hurts them in the long run.”
If you or a loved one is suffering from opioid addiction seek help as soon as possible , if you need support call the number on the screen Together we can stop the opioid epidemic.