In West Virginia, there is an outcry for solution as drug and alcohol overdoses take the lead in causes of accidental death. Some of us might be a little jaded as to what that means. Drug and alcohol overdoses taking the first place in causes of accidental deaths means only one thing: that in West Virginia, drug and alcohol abuse is reaching a climax that we as citizens can no longer tolerate. How much death is enough before our government takes hold of this gruesome epidemic and works to offer more clinical addiction services.
Not all of the deaths accounted for were ruled in the same way. The cookie cutter image of an individual hospitalized due to overdosing at home is often not the way most individuals in the area are arriving to the ER with. Mentioned before, the State, like most others, does experience a high number of automobile accidents that unfortunately do cause some casualties. What has made matters worse is that an astonishing number of these car accidents have been found to be related to individuals who got behind the wheel and were in the early stages of experiencing an overdose.
Some believe that the problem lies in the constant fluctuation in the battle between prescription painkillers and heroin. For those addicted to opiates, it is often one or the other. The medication is what most find ideal. It delivers one hell of a punch, is easy to mask in a generalized medicine cabinet and are not messy to the user. On the other hand, heroin is extremely potent, extremely cheap (in comparison), but many try to stay away from it due to the severity of the effects it has on people. The country as a whole is struggling to gain control over how prescription painkillers are used, and as a result many turn to heroin as a replacement.
There is a sense of urgency on the situation that not many other states experience so gravely. With hundreds of people dying annually due to driving under the influence, it is beyond the point at which something needs to be done. Some believe that drug and alcohol users might be getting ahead of themselves when considering their ability to function and safely drive a car. Most of us have been in the moment where we have either had some alcohol to drink or even done drugs. We all know that person who claims that they are fine, they only indulged a little bit and they believe they can make it home safe and sound. People might not realize, especially when switching substances how a drug might affect them. The human body is always changing, metabolizing at different speeds depending on what, how and when you eat. It probable that many of these accidents are being caused by individuals who purely believe they’ve handled themselves just fine at whatever level of drunk or high they were in.
It is important for all us to remember, and use West Virginia as one example of how our cities are being affected by drugs from within communities. Before driving under the influence, ask yourself if that moment is worth taking another’s life, or even your own.