This is a national crisis and doesn’t get nearly enough coverage.
The Washington Examiner reports:
1 in 5 college students knows someone addicted to opioidsA new study indicates that a growing number of millennials are facing pressure from the secondary effects of the opioid crisis through personal relationships with friends or relatives who have fallen victim to addiction to painkillers.According to new research from Penn State University Lehigh Valley, approximately one-in-five college students reported knowing someone who was addicted to opioids, and roughly one-third of college students surveyed said that they knew someone who had overdosed on pain medication.According to the researchers, many people only consider the impact of opioid epidemic on addicts themselves, often forgetting about the secondary effects experienced by family members or friends of a loved one who has become addicted to painkillers.”Since the beginning of the opioid epidemic, public debate and prevention strategies have focused on the primary victims, misusers themselves, while surprisingly little attention has been paid to the burdens felt and experienced by those who are intimately or socially tied to them,” said lead researcher Jennifer Parker, who is an associate professor of sociology at PSU Lehigh Valley.
[Featured Image: Photo Illustration by Michael Uribes/The Collegian]
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