Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
The drug epidemic in the United States has grown significantly with increased drug overdose deaths quadrupling from 1999 to 2018 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.), 2019). Of those deaths by overdose in 2018, 70% were from an opioid. The trend in opioid misuse has shown the use of non-medical prescription opioids (P.O.s) is increasing with adolescence (mean age 16.8), in which 83% will transition to use heroin within four years (Guarino, Mateu-Gelabert, Teubl, & Goodbody, 2018). The rate of using heroin has doubled over the last decade for young adults, age 18-25-years-old. The county in Atlanta I live is called Fulton and is one of the four counties referred to as the heroin triangle in Georgia (Lakeview Health Addiction Treatment and Recovery, 2020). WXIA-TV Atlanta investigated that in the last six years, death by heroin overdose has gone up 3,844 percent in four Georgia counties (Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett). I will be exploring preventive interventions that can be used and implemented in the school system to decrease the risk of adolescents abusing non-medical P.O.s and trying other illegal opioids.
