Have You “Experimented” with Drugs?

It can be a deadly experiment. As Covid raged, drug overdose deaths rose 30 percent in 2020. Records were set: the most drug overdose deaths in a year; the most deaths from opioid overdoses; the most overdose deaths from stimulants like methamphetamine; the most deaths from the deadly class of synthetic opioids known as fentanyl.

If you have not already watched “Dopesick,” you should. It is a miniseries drama on Hulu that focuses on the opioid addiction epidemic. It is based on the book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America, by Beth Macy. The Sackler family, the owners and heirs to the Purdue Pharma fortune, has faced years of legal battles over claims that it downplayed the risks of addiction to its popular painkiller, OxyContin. It is alleged that the Sackler family knowingly lied to the medical community that OxyContin was a non-addictive drug to push sales. The first three episodes of the eight-episode series were released on October 13, 2021.

In 2019, before the Covid pandemic started, an estimated 10.1 million people aged twelve or older were misusing opioids. That number has increased during the pandemic.

Cocaine production has increased, prices fell, and purity increased. More accessibility, lower prices, and higher purity helped contribute to an 81 percent increase in the number of first-time cocaine users in the United States since 2013. In 2019, there were 1,800 people who tried cocaine for the first time every day in the U.S.

Methamphetamine use has increased. In 2019, 510 people tried methamphetamine for the first time every day resulting in over 186,000 new methamphetamine users.

Fentanyl mixed with these substances can create a deadly combination. It is common practice for drug dealers to lace other drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, with fentanyl, often without the user’s awareness.

For example, according to police, eight people died because of overdoses of opioid fentanyl mixed with cocaine on the North Fork peninsula and Shelter Island in New York, in August of this year. These people were not hardened addicts but mostly recreational users, seeking a fleeting high, police said. One family member said, “You can say he made his choice and did what he was doing to have fun — but this is not what he asked for.”

Why do so many people turn to substances like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine? It feels good. For example, if a person has a normal dopamine level of 100, good food raises dopamine levels to 150. Sex increases dopamine levels to 200. Cocaine raises it to 350 and prescription opioids to 500. Heroin increases dopamine levels to 900 and methamphetamine to 1,300. That intense rush of dopamine is what people hope for when they use substances. That dopamine surge quickly teaches the brain to want and need that feeling again.

Even cannabis can have harmful consequences. Back in the day (1960s through 1980s), marijuana contained less than 2 percent THC, the psychoactive component that alters the brain and gets you high. Nowadays, the THC concentration can range from 17-28 percent. Some THC products, such as oil and edibles, have THC concentrations upwards of 95 percent. It takes a very astute customer to know what levels they should buy or what amount of THC they are ingesting.

And, of course, excessive alcohol consumption can be problematic. In March 2020, U.S. alcohol sales rose 54 percent, while online alcohol sales were up 262 percent. In June 2020, 13 percent of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19.

So, what can you do? Be careful. Find healthier ways to cope with stress than utilizing substances. But if you do use substances, utilize test kits to check for the presence of fentanyl. Have Narcan, also known as Naloxone, readily available to reverse opioid/fentanyl overdoses. You can get it from many pharmacies or ask your doctor for a prescription. And don’t use it alone. Always have someone with you for safety purposes. You may be putting your life at risk.