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Posted By Jun - SuboxoneDoctor.com Team on 06/25/2018 in Opioid Treatment

Surgeon General Supports Opiate Treatment Programs

The former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, frequently spoke out supporting opiate treatment programs. He spent a large part of his time as Surgeon General spreading messages about fighting addiction, as well as the importance of fighting the stigma around addiction.

October 4, 2015 was a major event at which he delivered remarks. The rally was organized by a nonprofit group known as Facing Addiction, and the event was called The Day the silence Ended. Attendees gathered at the National Wall in Washington, D.C. to hear numerous individuals who were in recovery speak about their progress and deliver messages of hope. The program was organized so that attendees could learn more about addiction and recovery, while lessening the stigma that surrounds addiction.

Dr. Murthy spent a good deal of his tenure requesting that doctors begin their pain management programs with something other than narcotic pain medications, as these medications often start a slide into addiction that sends individuals into opiate treatment programs. He also focused much of his effort on dentists. He reported in 2016 that 42 percent of dentistry patients filled opioid prescriptions within a week of having a tooth extracted. Many of these prescriptions were filled by young adults, as well, whose brains may not be fully developed.

It's also important that we work as a nation to overcome the stigma of opioid addiction. This allows us to share in growth and discussions about addiction statistics, as well as treatment programs that will need to be funded in order to treat the growing numbers of addicted individuals. Fighting the stigma is crucial, so that individuals throughout our nation understand that addiction is a disease and can be treated with medication and therapy.

Thanks to the advent of modern, less addictive opiate treatment medications, these programs are no longer seen as a place where one simply substitutes one drug for another. Instead, they're being seen as a place to truly begin to overcome and move past an addiction. We will hopefully soon reach the point where health insurance companies will have to pay for addiction treatment across the board, so that an individual who is diagnosed with addiction will have to receive skilled medical treatment and therapy so that they can regain control of their life.

Each time an individual works through an opioid treatment program successfully, the stigma of addiction lessons. Each time the public is educated about addiction it also works to lesson the stigma. These small victories all add up to more overall support for individuals in our communities that are fighting their own personal battles with addiction.

Over time, the battle to treat addiction and to secure funding for treating opiate addiction should get easier. However, if you are struggling with addiction, don't wait for stigma to lessen or legislation to pass in your community. Instead, speak with a treatment program locally to learn what options are available to you so that you can begin to get your life back on track.