The abuse of and addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain relievers is a serious global problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of all societies.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Opioids are most often used medically to relieve pain. Opioids include opiates, an older term that refers to such drugs derived from opium, including morphine itself. Other opioids are semi-synthetic and synthetic drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl; antagonist drugs such as naloxone and endogenous peptides such as the endorphins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid
In terms of abuse and mortality, opioids account for the greatest proportion of the prescription drug abuse problem. Deaths related to prescription opioids began rising in the early part of the 21st century.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide, with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
The opioid epidemic has been called the worst drug crisis in American history. Death rates now rival those of AIDS during the 1990s, and with overdoses from heroin and other opioids now killing more than 27,000 people a year, the crisis has led to urgent calls for action. The epidemic didn’t happen overnight.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-bad-is-the-opioid-epidemic/
It’s clear that opioid abuse is an epidemic in our country. In 2014, SAMHSA reported that nearly 2 million Americans had an addiction to prescription painkillers, and another 586,000 were addicted to heroin. Furthermore, the opioid abuse epidemic is behind the increase in overdose deaths. Over 18,000 overdose deaths were related to prescription painkillers in 2014, and over 10,000 were related to heroin. These are not numbers that we like to see.
https://www.theriversource.org/blog/whats-being-done-about-the-opioid-abuse-epidemic/
Opioids include drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin that are mostly prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. They act by attaching to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which are found on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs in the body.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
Opioids act by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. These receptors mediate both the psychoactive and the somatic effects of opioids. Opioid drugs include partial agonists and antagonists, which produce moderate or no effect (respectively) but displace other opioids from binding in those receptors. The side effects of opioids may include itchiness, sedation, nausea, respiratory depression, constipation, and euphoria.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid
Because prescription opioids are similar to, and act on the same brain systems affected by, heroin and morphine (Fig.2), they present an intrinsic abuse and addiction liability, particularly if they are used for non-medical purposes.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
Likewise, nearly every age group has been touched by the opioid epidemic. Heroin deaths skew younger, according to CDC data, while fatal opioid overdoses are more likely to happen in middle age.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-bad-is-the-opioid-epidemic/
what's opioid related epidemic?
The opioid epidemic has been called the worst drug crisis in American history.