#GivingRestoration

Addressing the opioid crisis is not a new adventure for Congress. In fact, Congress has passed several pieces of legislation and spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars trying to fix a problem that has led to 220 Americans dying of an opioid related drug overdose every day. Unfortunately, the opioid crisis has proven time and again that it isn’t a problem that can be fixed just by throwing money at it. That’s why the NOPAIN Act – and its novel approach to preventing opioid addiction before it starts – was such a tremendous feat. This legislation will prevent millions of new cases of opioid addiction and save lives.

Passage of this legislation was a long time coming, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all of the advocates that worked with Voices and the Will Bright Foundation to shine a light on this problem. We hope that passage of this legislation will bring some relief to families who have paid the ultimate price of the opioid epidemic who may know that others will not have to suffer as they have.

On behalf of Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, we’d like to thank Lisa and Bill for their tireless efforts to share their story and the countless advocates – in Alabama and around the country – who joined us in this fight. We hope that you will take a moment to celebrate this with us and pat yourselves on the back. We couldn’t have done it without you.

“For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

Willbrightfoundation.com

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About a year ago, I found myself divorced. Something I never imagined I’d be. Drinking was something I’d never done and other than a little peer pressure as a teen, hadn’t really ever entertained doing. But with my divorce, came a tremendous amount of hurt. Hurt I wanted to escape. So much so I remember standing in front of the cooler at CVS one night thinking, “If I could just stop thinking for a little while, I’ll be good.” Truth was, I wouldn’t as I’d need another drink the next night and the next night. I’d only been creating a host of other problems for myself. Ultimately, more grief.

Perhaps your grief began in childhood? The loss of a pet or the divorce of your parents? Maybe it’s been later in life . . . you lost a job? Or your health declined? Whether you’ve been through one devastating loss or have had a lifetime of heartache, unresolved emotional pain limits the quality of your life and your capacity for happiness and can lead to choices compounding this.

Some of us escape our losses without turning to substance abuse while there are others who do not. Either way, we need “recovery”. More often than not, our hurts tend to turn us inward and as a result, drugs and alcohol become the solution. Had I chosen to drink that night following my divorce, that “solution” may have resulted in more grief. Not only for myself but for many others.

So, what do we do when we find ourselves standing in the middle of loss having never turned to drugs and alcohol or perhaps, standing in rehab because we have? What do we do when life doesn’t turn out the way we hoped it would whether it’s a result of our own choices or those of someone else?

We all simply do what we think is best at the time. For some of us, that “best” is drugs and alcohol and sadly, these tools don’t lead us down the road to getting complete with all of the things we wish we could have said or done in regard to the relationship/event that broke our heart. Afterall, grief isn’t the result of a broken brain. It’s the result of a broken heart.

“Anbesol” is a great tool for providing instant but temporary relief from tooth pain, right? But does it provide us with a solution for permanent relief? More times than not, permanent relief involves addressing the “root” of the problem.

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One way to do this is to seek opportunities to minimize unnecessary exposure to opioids. This is particularly important for opioid-naïve, young patients who may be undergoing a surgical procedure for the first time, suffering from a sports injury, or involved in some sort of accident or trauma.

All told, nearly four million Americans go on to long-term opioid use following these types of incidents. It’s easy to see why – a staggering 90 percent of these patients are prescribed opioids to manage their pain. It’s no wonder we dispense nearly 150 million opioid prescriptions a year in this country and consume 80 percent of the global supply of prescription opioids.

While opioids are currently the standard of care for many acute pain patients, they aren’t the only game in town. There are a variety of other, non-opioid based pain approaches that have been deemed safe and effective in treating acute pain. Such approaches, like nerve blocks, abuse-deterrent devices, IV NSAIDs, steroids, and others, have demonstrated the ability to provide effective pain relief and substantially minimize patient exposure to opioids.

Unfortunately, these non-opioid approaches are frequently out-of-reach for patients and providers. That’s because our healthcare system in the United States inadvertently incentivizes the use of prescription opioid pills for managing pain. This tone deaf, outdated approach needlessly exposes patients to prescription opioid pills and ignores a vital reality in the United States – one that saw 75,000 Americans die last year from an opioid-related drug overdose.

Fortunately, Congress is paying attention. Legislation is pending in the United States Congress that seeks to address this issue and, in the process, prevent opioid addiction where we can. The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (“NOPAIN”) Act would update antiquated reimbursement rules to provide patient and provider access to the wide array of safe and effective non-opioid pain approaches.

Support for the NOPAIN Act in Congress is at historic levels. Nearly 50 U.S. Senators now support this groundbreaking legislation, but we need to do more to get it over the finish line. Congress needs to hear from you about why this is a priority. With your help, we can make a significant impact in preventing addiction in the nation and, in the process, save lives.

Let’s work together to get this important legislation passed. Visit https://nonopioidchoices.org/action-center/ to weigh in. Time is of the essence.

Those motivations led him to try alcohol at the young age of 13. This continued through high school and beyond. “I had had enough of being fake and grabbed hold of that lifestyle and identity,” he reflects. “I found acceptance in that life; people liked me that way.”

Through a cycle of arrests, stays in jail and rehab, Terry began to discover who was he was, but because he internalized most of his struggles, it led him to multiple relapses. “I wanted a different way of life, but I didn’t want to face the repercussions,” he said. When he was nearing the mark of almost a year residing in the Tuscaloosa County jail and not knowing if there was going to be a way out, Terry’s dad connected with Restoration Springs and the Will Bright Foundation.

“To me, it was the difference between submission and surrender,” said Terry when asked about his time at Restoration Springs. Before, he had submitted to the opinions of others and a life of addiction, but now, he has surrendered to making real-life changes. “This place has helped me discover who I am and what I want in life,” he fervently said.

1 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The question was asked, “Was there a particular loss prior to your struggle with addiction?” Like most Friday nights, the person to my left answered first and most everyone spoke until we ended with the person to my right. While maybe only two said they couldn’t recall any grief prior to their first taste of drugs or alcohol, most mentioned the death of a loved one, a difficult relationship or one of more than forty loss experiences. Immediately following the meeting, those who didn’t speak offered to share with me in private they couldn’t speak through recalling their pain. 

Often, we forget all of us have not walked in the same shoes. I know I do; however, this is one of my favorite things about people . . . everyone has a story. And although it may not be the same as mine, there is much to take away. Something each of us can relate to. Loss is definitely something we can all relate to.

Having previously established he had a most difficult relationship with his dad, a grieving son said, “Even though I’d won numerous awards for my abilities, I never felt good enough.” No matter how many times positive comments were placed in his ‘bucket’, he said it always felt like it had a hole in the bottom of it. Those “You’ll never be good enough” tapes played in his mind over and over.

And without realizing it, his inability to accept he was enough led him to mask the pain with alcohol. Perhaps each of us has not been labeled by our chosen method to fill the void inside our hearts. But at some point, have all tried to fill that emptiness with one thing or another.

Grief. It comes in many forms. Recognizing it and making a conscious decision to go through it is tough but so worth it. And what can be even tougher is reaching out for help. But so worth it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to release data on rates of drug overdose deaths in the United States. In their latest update, it was revealed that nearly 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021. This record-breaking figure highlights an urgent need for action.

Of the 100,000 Americans who died of a drug overdose in that 12-month period, the CDC estimates that 75 percent of these overdose deaths involved opioids. The agency rightly points to the spread of illicit forms of opioids – such as heroin and fentanyl – as the catalyst for this latest spike. On the other hand, government data shows that many, if not all, individuals with an opioid use disorder start by misusing prescription opioid pills. One study showed that 75 percent of heroin users initiated opioid use with prescription pills.

This information is hardly surprising. In the United States, we prescribe and consume a lot of opioid pills. Opioids continue to be the standard of care for patients suffering from acute or chronic pain. The CDC reports that more than 140 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in 2020. In the United States, we consume over 80 percent of the global supply of opioid pills – this includes over 99 percent of the global supply of hydrocodone.

As a result, more than 3 million Americans go on to long-term opioid use following an acute pain incident.

One reason why opioids continue to be so commonly used to treat pain in the United States is because our healthcare system inadvertently incentivizes their use. Opioids are cheap. They are also well-covered by health insurance plans across the country. Non-opioid based pain therapies, on the other hand, are not treated the same by health insurance companies. As a result, they are frequently out-of-reach for patients and providers – even those that would prefer non-opioid pain approaches.

Fortunately, this is a problem that we can solve. There are evidence-based, FDA approved non-opioid therapies and devices that can help these patients. Increasing access to these approaches is critical. Doing so can minimize unnecessary exposure to opioids and prevent individuals from developing an opioid use disorder.

To increase access to these non-opioid pain approaches, however, will require system change. It will require policy change to ensure that the proper incentives are in place so that patients and providers can access non-opioid therapies. The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act is a piece of federal legislation currently pending before Congress. The legislation would make these changes to reimbursement policy and make non-opioid pain treatment therapies widely available to acute pain patients in the United States. In doing so, the legislation provides an opportunity to prevent opioid addiction before it starts. In the process, it can save lives.

We need your help to get this legislation over the finish line. Members of Congress need to hear from you about why this legislation is so important and I am hopeful that you will click here to let them know that you want to see this legislation enacted into law.

As you can see, together, we can make real change. In the process we can save lives. Please join us in telling Congress that the time is now to pass the NOPAIN Act.