It’s practically impossible to turn on the news without seeing stories about the epidemic of deaths attributed to the opioid addiction. Although the epidemic surrounding opioids can seem unrelated to daily life in, addiction problems occur right here in Westport.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers that are legally available by prescription such as Ox

Opioids are generally prescribed when an individual has just undergone a serious injury, surgery, or extensive treatment for cancer. These drugs have been chemically manufactured to mimic the effect of endorphins, which are chemicals that our body produces in order to naturally relieve pain.

As opioid education is continually stressed throughout school health classes, these questions still remain: How much do students know about opioids, and how are health experts broadening students’ knowledge about them?

In 2016, multiple cities and towns across the state of Connecticut housed residents who died from an opioid overdose. The areas who lost the most inhabitants to opioids were Hartford, with 62 residents dying from an opioid overdose and Bridgeport with 44 residents dying from an opioid overdose.

Opioids aren’t always dangerous. For the majority of people, when opioids are prescribed by a professional for a short amount of time, they are relatively safe and can effectively reduce pain. However, there are certain people who develop a dependence on opioids and experience withdrawal symptoms when they aren’t on the drug. According to American addiction centers, addicts may experience flu-like symptoms 24 to 48 hours after withdrawal.

The number of prescriptions given out for opioids in the United States has skyrocketed within the last 25 years. In 1991, there were about 76 million prescriptions for opioids in the United States, as opposed to the 207 million prescriptions given out in 2013.

“The opioid addiction can start with other drugs. Then over the years [individuals] start trying other things, and opioids and become a problem,” said Ms. Samantha Porter, a Bedford nurse and EMT.

Ms. Porter also confirms that addiction to opioids can begin at a young age. “Although it may not seem like it, the opioid addiction absolutely affects young people. I’ve had many experiences with people in their 20s dealing with the addiction. It does generally affect older people more, but young people are still affected by it.”

Melissa Fett, a health teacher at Bedford, agrees that opioid addiction within teens is a problem. “Young people don’t really seem to understand how dangerous opioids are. So many adolescents think that just because they didn’t buy the drugs off of the street from a drug dealer that they aren’t ‘doing drugs.’ They seem to believe that since the medicine was prescribed by a doctor and that it is in their medicine cabinet at home that it isn’t so bad. This way of thinking is extremely dangerous not only because it makes young people think it is okay to use opioids, but also because they are then more likely to end up abusing the drugs.”

Ms. Porter, said, “The main problem surrounding the opioid addiction is the over prescribing of opioids at hospitals for pain management.”

Since opioids are so addictive and potentially life-threatening, medical professionals are looking for ways to avoid prescribing opioids. Ms. Fett says, “Doctors could be a bit more selective of whom and how often opioids are prescribed. For example, it makes sense that a person who just had surgery is taking opioids for a few days. However, if that same patient is still in great pain months later and claims to need the more medication in order to function, then perhaps doctors should take a closer look to see what is truly going on with that patient. Continuing to medicate him or her is not going to solve anything, but it will increase the chances of becoming addicted or overdosing.”

It isn’t just doctors and patients who need education about the addictive traits of opioids. Ms. Porter suggests that a potential solution to the opioid epidemic is, “Continued education for young people and being aware of what you’re taking for pain management when you need it.”

Ms. Fett agrees that education about opioids is important for young people to receive. “Reducing the amount of prescriptions (and intensity of dosage) would be the simple answer, but unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. However, educating people, especially those who are being prescribed opioids, about the dangers of prolonged use of the drugs is critical. When people know and understand the dangers of abusing or overdosing on opioids, they have a better chance of being more aware of how to properly take the medication.”