The Good Life – July-August 2017

18 months they “have really seen an
increase in opiate related substances.”
Some definitions:
Opioids: Class of pain relieving drugs
that include heroin and oxycodone,
hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and
fentanyl.
Heroin: Highly addictive pain relieving
opiate drug derived from morphine.
Fentanyl: Synthetic, short-acting pain
reliever and sedative.
Carfentanil: Similar to fentanyl with a
high toxicity in humans. It has potential
as a chemical weapon.
8 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
The impact is devastating. Christensen
said: “In 2016, we had to notify 15
families that their son or daughter,
mother or father, brother or sister,
had died because of a drug overdose
and explain what we were doing to try
and make sure this did not happen to
another family and to find out who was
responsible for their family member’s
death and why it happened.”
Todd asserted that drug addiction “is
across every socioeconomic spectrum.”
It can be the CEO’s daughter, the
pastor’s son, or the college student.
And many of our friends and relatives
become addicted after using pills
legally for pain or being given pills by a
friend, thinking they are harmless.
Here are some startling statistics from
the North Dakota Behavioral Health:
• In 2015, almost 1.5 million
prescriptions were dispensed to
North Dakota residents, which have
increased steadily since 2008 with
935,201 prescriptions having been
dispensed.
• 54% of people who misuse pain
relievers obtain them from a friend of
relative.
• The majority of heroin users report
that they abused prescription opioids
before trying heroin.
• 4 out of 5 new heroin users started
out misusing prescription painkillers.
Todd surmised: “I think the drug
companies pushed oxycodone and