Although the opioid crisis indicators in Newberry County have not been as severe when compared to other South Carolina counties, those numbers are climbing. Staying informed and vigilant is critical for your safety and that of loved ones, especially children.
For yourself, don’t be afraid to ask your physician about ways to manage your pain that do not involve prescription opioids. Some of these option may actually work better with fewer risks and side effects. Depending on the type of pain you are experiencing, there are alternatives to prescription opioids. Below is a list the S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse has identified as additional ways to manage pain.
• Acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
• Exercise therapy, including physical therapy.
• Medications for depression or for seizures.
• Interventional therapies (injections).
• Exercise and weight loss.
You can find more information on the website justplainkillers.org.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is another potential way to manage pain.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. The goal of CBT is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people’s difficulties, and so change the way they feel. It is used to help treat a wide range of issues in a person’s life, from sleeping difficulties or relationship problems, to drug and alcohol abuse or anxiety and depression. CBT works by changing people’s attitudes and their behavior by focusing on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes that are held (a person’s cognitive processes) and how these processes relate to the way a person behaves, as a way of dealing with emotional problems.
An important advantage of cognitive behavioral therapy is that it tends to be short. Clients attend one session per week, each session lasting approximately 50 minutes. During this time, the client and therapist are working together to understand what the problems are and develop new strategies for tackling them. CBT introduces patients to a set of principles that they can apply whenever they need to, and that’ll last them a lifetime.
The link between thoughts and feelings is very important. Psychiatrist Aaron Beck invented the term “automatic thoughts” to describe emotion-filled thoughts that might pop up in the mind automatically. Beck found that people weren’t always fully aware of such thoughts, but could learn to identify and report them. If a person was feeling upset in some way, the thoughts were usually negative and neither realistic nor helpful. Beck found that identifying these thoughts was the key to the client understanding and overcoming his or her difficulties.
CBT is based on the theory that it’s not necessarily the events themselves that upset us, but the meanings we give them. If our thoughts are too negative, it can block us seeing things or doing things that don’t fit – that disconfirm – what we believe is true. In other words, we continue to hold on to the same old thoughts and fail to learn anything new.
When it comes to your children there are several strategies you can employ to keep them from misuse of prescription opioids.
First, lock your medications. Every day in the U.S., 1,700 children and young adults begin experimenting with prescription drugs. Fifty-three percent of children who abused prescription drugs say they get the medication from a stranger, a drug dealer, the internet, friends and family. Prevent your children from abusing your own medication by securing your meds in places your child cannot access.
Second, take inventory. Download your Medicine Inventory Worksheet from www.westviewbehavioral.org/Opioid_Crisis.php. Write down the information about the medications you currently have and regularly check to see that nothing is missing.
Third, educate yourself and your child. Learn about the most commonly abused types of prescription medications (pain relievers, sedatives, stimulants and tranquilizers) Then, communicate the dangers to your child regularly; once is not enough.
Fourth, set clear rules and monitor behavior. Express your expectation that your child will not use prescription drugs without a prescription. Monitor your child’s behavior to ensure that the rules are being followed.
Lastly, properly dispose of old and unused medications. Prescription drug drop boxes are located at each law enforcement agency in Newberry County. Drop your unwanted, excess medications with no questions asked.
This crisis has been building for decades. Only by staying active and vigilant can we turn the tide.
For more information, contact Westview at 276-5690.