Communities need to face opioid crisis

I’m fairly new to Rensselaer County but not to Upstate New York, I was born in a small town in Otsego County and I’m proud of the place I grew up. The two areas – Rensselaer County and Otsego County – have many similarities. A hardworking, gritty population that doesn’t take anything for granted. Strong families and communities that value freedom and liberty. Folks that understand what it’s like to work hard for what they earn.

But there’s another similarity that scares me, one that’s impacting nearly all upstaters – the heroin and opioid crisis. My hometown was torn apart when one of its own – a friend, a brother and a son - succumbed to this addiction crisis. He overdosed early in the morning before he was headed to work. A young man trying to progress and improve upon himself, but unable to shake the demons that strangled him. He was a good soul and a bright, caring individual. How many of you know a similar story? I bet a lot.

If I could wave a magic wand, I’d ban opioids – heroin’s legal brother - tomorrow. The clinical evidence doesn’t support their use. A recent study from a prominent medical journal just found common opioids – Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin – are no better at reducing pain for patients in the ER than a combination of Tylenol and Ibuprofen. And other studies have shown that long-term use of opioids will only lower a patient’s pain tolerance and cause physical addiction. Just the opposite of what people are hoping for when they search for relief.

But my number one concern with this crisis is its impact on our children. We’re doing little for them. You’ve watched our political leaders and governments attack it head- on – but mostly to expand treatment for existing addicts. I wish I could reassure you that we can treat our way out of the opioid crisis, but we can’t. We’re scheduled to spend billions of tax dollars but the prospects are bleak and the data is quite clear: most individuals addicted to heroin or opioids will never overcome it. I remember hearing an addict once say, “I don’t want to stop doing heroin, I just want to stop wanting to do heroin all the time.” This is heart-breaking.

Meanwhile, what are we doing to prevent future addicts? A buddy of mine just recently received 50 Percocet’s after a small, minimally invasive procedure. So doctors are still over prescribing them. And just ask a high schooler about the her- oin and opioid crisis and they’ll describe street corner drug-use and shady, alleyway drug deals. But they won’t talk about kids crushing and snorting pills at parties, or binging on them after athletic events. One is illicit, the other legal, but sadly both are heroin. Chemically, the opioids you take from a pill bottle are the same as the heroin you buy on the street. It’s a shame very few kids understand this.

I think our community has the capacity to do much more. I try to share this story every day of my life, with only limited results. But as many of you know, this is a common story. It needs to be told by everyone. While our leadership attacks the problem from a treatment standpoint, we’re drastically under planned for prevention. This work will not start in emergency rooms or hospital beds, it must start before, in our community centers, in our schools, in our homes. It’s the determination and spirit of our communities that will ultimately help us overcome this crisis, but we must have a better plan for battle. Our future depends on it. Owen Moss Troy