Opioid Abuse

12995Step 1: Using the Concorde’s Online Library, or other scholarly websites, perform research on Opioid abuse, specifically looking at aftercare from injuries, painful procedures, etc. Once you have completed your research, answer the following topics in a coherent essay that is a minimum of four (4) pages, not including a title and/or reference page:

How has opioid use change over the past 5 years?
Is opioid addiction considered an epidemic, pandemic, or neither? Why?
What safeguards are being put into place to combat opioid addiction?
How has opioid addiction impacted patients that suffer from psychological disorders and with the potential for abuse, what are some alternatives to opioid prescriptions?
Explain how opioids become a dependent drugs for those who use it for a defense mechanism.
How do you personally work with patients who have chronic pain, present symptoms of addiction to opioids, and/or have chronic pain but refuse to take prescription medications due to the abuse potential? (You will need to address all three topics but since this is will be your personal experience outside research is not necessary but is a good practice).