When a soldier comes back to war he or she may come back with a wound or health problem that causes them pain, perhaps even the kind of chronic pain that must be attended to. When the veteran seeks medical assistance they will likely be treated at the VA.
Criticism of the VA
The VA at its high level has often been a source of controversy in the United States political and government sphere. It has been criticized for the efficiency in which it is run, and in the quality of care it provides to those who have served their country and come back. Until recently, it was most common to go to the VA for your pain and to come away with a bottle full of opiates. The VA doled out countless prescriptions for opioids, narcotic pain medication.
Different Kinds of Opioid Prescription Drugs:
- Hydrocodon
- Codeine
- Vicodin
- Demerol
- Methadone
- Percocet
- Oxycodone
Many Veterans Impacted
Psychology Today reports that between 2010-2015 about thirteen percent of all veterans in the USA were addicted to opioids. United States Veterans are more than 10 percent more likely than the average American to become addicted to prescription opioids. This is a startling number, though not a surprising one given the horrors of fighting. Bringing back from war with all of the Post Traumatic Stress and reverse culture shock can wrack a brain and make it difficult to reacclimate into society. The soldier might feel alone and without an immediate occupation, they might feel useless or idle. These are the kinds of situation that might lead a veteran to prescription opioid addiction.
You can imagine how a soldier could easily become addicted to the kind of drug that would soothe any pain they might have and provides them with a much yearned for flood of contentment that comes as the opioid binds to the neurotransmitters in the brain, and dopamine gets produced.
Opioids are dangerous because they are very addictive and produce a tolerance that grows quickly. Opioids slow down heart rate and breathing to sometimes fatal degrees and can cause long term damage to the brain that can cause coma or even death.
If you or someone you know suffers from prescription opioid addiction in Florida, get help now by sending us a message or calling us at (833) 596-3502.