In 2017, Pennsylvania emerged as a horrifying hot spot in the opioid epidemic. That year alone, more than 5,400 Pennsylvanians died due to opioid overdose. Penn State responded by forming the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse, a University-wide research consortium that includes many Health and Human Development faculty.
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Other than sparing people the suffering and risks associated with addiction, there are financial reasons to invest in prevention. Treating addiction can costs tens of thousands of dollars per person, and people in recovery often struggle with addiction-related problems for years. By investing a few hundred dollars per child in prevention, society can address problems before they flare up.
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Each year, 4,200 American women who have no history of opioid use develop a substance abuse problem after being prescribed opioids to manage pain following cesarean birth. Prescription guidelines and screening tools can help prevent some of these problems.
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Without proper medical treatments people with substance use disorders—especially people addicted to alcohol or opioids—could go through painful and dangerous withdrawal. Furthermore, many people with dependencies on substances may never be able to achieve recovery without the support of treatment. Recovery, however, involves both continued abstinence and building overall wellbeing. It requires life changes and sustained efforts to maintain and protect wellbeing across time.
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