According to the CDC, The United States saw 72,000 deaths due to drug overdose in 2017, and according to an update in January 2019, every day more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.  Needless to say, this is a public emergency. 

Since 2014, I have been working with those who struggle with addiction. In 2013 I gave up the fight and followed a path towards sobriety that led me to make a difference. I have since dedicated my time to working in healthcare and going to college so that in the future I can take on a more prominent role. In 2017, after years of working hands-on with patients as a resident manager at a long-term male sober living facility, I made the jump to working in admissions. In this department, we are the first ones who hear from potential patients and their families when seeking help.

During these last two years, I have noticed one alarming point. A substantial number of callers admit that at a certain point they were overprescribed and undereducated by their physicians. Or that their addiction began when their doctor prescribed a substance they knew was highly addictive, let them leave with the prescription and provided no real warnings, and even recommended patients take pain medication before feeling any pain.

I have also spoken to individuals who were prescribed substances that are directly correlated with Mental Health, i.e., Adderall or Wellbutrin, but the individual who wrote their prescription was the family PCP. How could that Doctor have surmised the true nature of the person's mental state with no background in that field?

I am proposing that Congress put forward a Bill that implements putting medical students through a precipitated opiate withdrawal during residency under the supervision of medical professionals. 

In the United States, our armed forces go through rigorous uncomfortable training. The infamous Gas Chamber in boot camps across our nations military branches. Most police units have to feel the punch of a taser before getting issued one. So why shouldn’t our medical professionals who are in charge of writing prescriptions that can be lethal or addictive not get an experience that will make them think twice before writing it too quick? 

I feel this would be a great move towards a future solution that will result in higher quality care from physicians, educated patients, a lower volume of addictions and a future with a healthier America.