Drug Slides - Taylor Chrisman

While studying the lecture slides, I was particularly interested in the slides about opioids. Although more under control now, a few years ago the opioid epidemic was totally unmanageable. Doctors were handing out prescriptions for opioids far more than they should have been. These drugs are highly addictive and produce cravings that will encourage people to do just about anything to get their hands on them. After more research was done and doctors became stricter with opioid prescriptions, people were turning to the black market. The black market is an underground economy that is used for the illegal purchase and sale of goods, in this case, drugs. Crime rates were at an all-time high during this period.

I was intrigued when the slides explained that there are positive addictions in addition to negative ones. When I hear the word addiction, I usually think of it to have a negative connotation. However, addiction is just the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. For example, someone can be addicted to exercising and eating healthy. These types of addictions bring positives to someone’s life.