Growing up in Clintonville, a suburb in Columbus, as a child I remember attending D.A.R.E classes at Immaculate Conception with Officer McSweeney and learning about the evils of drugs.  My own naiveté at the time helped me paint an unrealistic picture of what a “drug user” was and how “dangerous” they are.  It wasn’t until high school that I realized that so many of the peers I knew who used drugs and a couple who later passed away due to overdose did not fit that mold. 

It is an illusion in our society that drug users and abusers are different from everyone else.  They have the same hopes, dreams and aspirations as all of us but, tragically, something gets in the way of all those dreams.  My education and experience as a therapist tells me this is due to any given number of factors including trauma, heredity, chronic illness, mental health, opportunity, and a lack of healthy coping mechanisms.  The one truth that I do know is that it is not an individual problem.  It is a community problem and one that we must address together.  Gone are the days when the problems of addiction were restricted to a specific socioeconomic group or cultural background.  Truth be told, it never really was that way.  We have been conditioned to think so, which all the more misdirects us from seeing the problems in our community as a whole and in our own homes. 

No one can deny that opiates are quickly permeating all aspects of our community.  I saw a wonderful commercial the other day about a little town called Denial, Ohio.  It demonstrated well that no matter how much we want to believe that it can’t happen to us, it is happening.  We must work to educate each other, especially our children, about the appropriate use of narcotics and safety practices surrounding them.  In Franklin County, there are many resources for education and prevention available.  Ohio State’s College of Public Health has offered many free Naloxone training classes to those who are interested in fighting the opioid epidemic. 

If you or someone you care about is living with an addiction, please know that there is hope and help available to you.  OSU Talbot Hall offers inpatient and outpatient treatment for those battling addiction.  Free Naloxone/Narcan trainings are offered in the community through the Ohio Department of Public Health and available upon request.  Education and resources are also available through Safe Point Ohio.  Let’s work together to put an end to this public health crisis. 

Your OSU EAP is always here to help.  Please contact us at 800-678-6265, or EAP@osumc.edu for more information on how to get assistance.  If you have specific questions concerning your Ohio State health coverage and treatment options available, please contact the OSU Health Plan at 614-292-4700.