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By Priscilla Tenorio
To know how opioids affect communities all around us, we must first know what opioids are and how we are affected by them even in ways we do not realize.
According the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the simple definition of opioids are a class of drugs that are meant to reduce moderate to severe pain. The intake of opioids can also produce feelings of happiness and relaxation used for non medical reasons. Opioids, even prescribed, can have severe risk of addiction, overdose, and even death.
Alameda’s approach to the crisis
With further research still being done, in the last 20 years there have been more than 500,000+ deaths related to opioids in the United States. Although Alameda County specifically has seen relatively low deaths compared to the state of California, it has posed a challenge to instill urgency and educate others about the crisis to those in the county.
The rise of local people coming together to raise awareness of opioid use has been a significant approach to the matter by local government agencies and the general population.
Campaigns to continue to advocate for increasing education on the matter, specifically in Alameda County like the Alameda County Young Adult Opioid Initiative (opioid-and-other-drug-awareness-toolkit), which aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and and increase access to treatment and services to people around the county.
Local support and involvement in these resources shows the large impact that it has on educating the community on opioids and expanding resources to a large population.
Local resources
The Bay Area has taken many steps to combat the opioid epidemic. One of the major approaches is increasing public awareness and expanding education and care in relation to opioids and drug abuse. We can contribute to the cause just by promoting awareness on the subject in person, social media, etc.
As well, we can volunteer in many non profit organizations across the bay area online and in person like the ADOPT project (Advancing Drug and Opioid Prevention and Treatment (ADOPT)) and sharing resources for opioid support like the Alameda Family Services (via Bay Area Substance Abuse Resources – Alameda County) which offers services to adults and adolescents. This is what we can do in our local communities to contribute to the education and awareness of the opioid epidemic.
Overall, the opioid crisis is urgent and still upcoming and seen in local communities all over the nation including Alameda County.
Following Alameda’s approach and resources all over the Bay Area highlights the impact of these agencies advocating for opioid awareness and treatments that are available as well as doing our part in our day to day lives.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
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