The excitement of shaking hands as you land the job you have been wanting is shattered as your employer hands you a piece of paper. It lists locations approved for your pre-employment drug screen. Your heart sinks – you know you can’t pass the test because of Percocet, which you do not have a prescription […]
Opioids have taken too many lives from Appalachian residents each year, including our daughters, sons, friends, parents, and loved ones. In Tennessee, the rate of fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 in 2021 was 56.6, which was over 20 higher than the national average. While we can speculate that these overdoses were from opioids, how many […]
You have done it many times before and never been successful. Opioids have such a grip on you that every time you try to quit, it doesn’t seem to stick. You’ve even experienced an overdose before, but nothing has worked to help you stop. Even quitting opioids cold turkey didn’t work – it was actually […]
You want to stop, you know you can’t keep going on like this. But every time you try, the nausea is terrible, the sweat never seems to stop, and the pain in your joints is just too much. The only thing that makes it go away is taking another PercocetⓇ (oxycodone/acetaminophen), the very thing you […]
All substances – both legal and illicit – have some form of side effects. Even simple, over-the-counter cold medicine can cause adverse reactions. Though reactions to medications deemed as “safe” are rare, there can always be the chance of severe side effects. These can be as severe as resulting in life-threatening consequences. In 2022, over […]
The ache in your chest is that of grief, knowing your loved one has seemed to choose Percocet® (oxycodone/acetaminophen) over their family. You thought you saw the signs, but in the end, you were unaware of how serious the situation was. You are not alone. The prescription opioid dispensing rate in Scott County was 140.4 […]
Opioids can take over the mind and body, causing a myriad of negative side effects. Many of these are well-known, as we have witnessed the opioid epidemic affecting millions of families and loved ones. But what about the lesser-known effects – the ones that may have indicated your loved one was taking opioids sooner? What […]
Life After Opioids: Navigating Rejoining the Workforce in Recovery Opioid use disorder takes over millions of lives every year. Making the choice to seek treatment can be empowering, and reclaiming your life from opioids will feel rewarding and freeing. But opioids have been the center of your world for the past months or even years […]
She was not heroin. He was not morphine. They were not codeine. She was a mother. He was a brother. They were friends and family members. Those we have lost to an opioid overdose were not a problem, they were people. They had names, faces, lives, and people who cared. They live on in memories […]
We have all seen statistics surrounding the opioid epidemic, numbers about deaths, arrests, babies born dependent, and more. Behind each number is a life – a family member, loved one, close friend, even coworker. Losing a loved one to opioids turns worlds upside down and tears families apart. What can be done? How can we […]
