The Deadly Epidemic Currently Affecting Teens

The Deadly Epidemic Currently Affecting Teens Nationwide

The number one leading cause of individuals aged 18-45, now surpassing suicide, gun violence, and vehicular accidents, are overdoses. The main culprit in this new epidemic ravishing young people nationwide is the drug known as fentanyl. Fentanyl, a substance usually prescribed as a pain medication or an intravenous anesthetic by doctors, is now being manufactured with chemicals from China and India by the Mexican drug cartel. It is much cheaper to produce than heroin and is purportedly 50 times more potent, resulting in an extremely high death rate. The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration has stated that four out of every ten pills contains a lethal dose of the illicit substance.  

Fentanyl is a substance which can be injected, snorted, smoked, or more commonly, taken orally by pill. Illegally produced fentanyl is often laced into other illicit substances, such as heroin or cocaine. The effects of fentanyl mimic other pain killer pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone.

In Texas Today

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), 883 people in Texas died from fentanyl-related overdoses in 2020. Provisional data shows that number climbed to 1,672 deaths in 2021 — an 89% increase. The increase in fentanyl-related deaths during this time frame correlates with the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many young people were forced to quarantine and be removed from their core support groups and interactions with other individuals.

Young People and Access to Fentanyl

The rise of social media apps, such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram have also provided drug dealers with a new conduit for illicit substance revenue. Tim Mackey, a University of California San Diego professor who runs a federally funded AI software to detect unlawful online drug sales, said to the New York Times, “There are drug sellers on every major social media platform — that includes Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, TikTok and emerging platforms like Discord and Telegram. It’s an entire ecosystem problem: As long as your child is on one of those platforms, they’re going to have the potential to be exposed to drug sellers.”

Harm Reduction and Resources

It is important to know what steps we can take to potentially save a life in the face of the opioid epidemic. Ensuring that Naloxone is available in public spaces and in your home is the first step to harm reduction. Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal drug, which comes in two different forms: as a nasal spray (known as “Narcan”) or as an autoinjector (known as “Evzio”).

The silver lining is that both forms of Naloxone are easy to attain and administer with very limited instruction. Texas’s Greenhouse Treatment Center has compiled the following list of where to gain access to Naloxone in the state:

• Texas Walgreens and other Texas pharmacies such as CVS, Krogers and Walmart.: More than 700 Walgreens stores in Texas offer customers the ability to purchase Naloxone without a prescription.

• O.D. AID: This organization is located in Fort Worth, Texas and offers free naloxone kits as well as training to those in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. 

• MoreNarcanPlease.com: Here Texans can order Narcan as well as watch informational videos on how to administer the reversal drug.

• Texas Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA): This Austin based organization provides mobile and street-based overdose prevention resources.

It can be incredibly hard to know what to do in the face of the opioid epidemic. Remaining vigilant, prepared and knowledgeable are the first steps to creating a different outcome. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please do not hesitate to seek support. 

Where there is healing, there is hope. For more information on sessions with us, please visit https://www.counselingteens.org/contact or contact us via email: info@traumaandtheartofhealing.org or phone: 1(737) 314-2418

References                                                                                                                             

Hoffman, Jan. “Fentanyl Tainted Pills Cause Drug Fatalities Among Youth to Soar.” New York Times, May 19, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/health/pills-fentanyl-social-media.html                         

Lautieri, Amanda. “Finding Narcan (Naloxone) in Texas.” Greenhouse Treatment Center. December 20, 2022. https://greenhousetreatment.com/texas-treatment/narcan-naloxone/