Ask Dr. Mike

A LETTER FROM DR. MIKE

The Opioid Crisis: Transforming a Culture of Despair to One of Hope and Healing

Opioid overdoses killed over 106,000 people in our country last year and are now the leading cause of death for those under 50 years old.  This startling number of fatalities now exceeds the death toll from all cancer types except lung cancer which claimed the lives of 134.000 individuals. With fentanyl becoming too easily accessible in all our communities, a 16-year-old greater Boston area high school student afflicted with an opiate use disorder now has a worse prognosis than a classmate suffering from leukemia.

The high prevalence of suicides, alcohol related illnesses, and overdose deaths are reflective of the brokenness in our society and are now identified as “deaths of despair”. Mental health issues along with a lack of spiritual health are significant contributors. Key indicators of this despair include loneliness, helplessness, shame, poor self-esteem, feeling unloved, and an absence of nurturing from adverse childhood events.

All these conditions have fostered an atmosphere of hopelessness and self-medicating behaviors that are responsible for many of these overdose incidents. These “deaths of despair” are unacceptable and fervently call for promoting and adopting a new culture of hope and healing to reverse these troubling trends.

To help accomplish this mission, we must gain a better understanding of how these deeply rooted pains or significant voids in our hearts can give rise to addictions. It is in this context that we can characterize addiction as the continuous use of substances such as drugs or alcohol in a futile and ultimately harmful attempt to make up from the outside for what is truly missing on the inside. These unnatural attachments compromise our true selves and separate us from the most important things in our lives.

The incessant use of these substances serves to “hijack” the brain by altering specific brain circuit pathways inciting tolerance, relentless cravings, and diminished self-control that creates addictions. While medication assisted treatment programs offer effective therapies that help overcome the powerful addictive drives and triggers for relapse, more must be done to profoundly impact this public health crisis.

A spirited campaign must be waged on the prevention and early intervention of substance use disorders and “deaths of despair” just has been done with heart disease and cancer. The core of this mission should focus on optimizing the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of those afflicted to help them become whole again and live a life of purpose, value, and lasting recovery.

Prioritizing good self-care is the foundation for optimal physical health and wellness. This includes healthy nutrition, regular exercise, proper sleep hygiene, and annual physicals along with a commitment to limit or avoid the intake of substances harmful to one’s physical and mental wellbeing.  All these measures augment recovery by helping boost self-confidence, self-esteem, brain health, and mood while reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Crucial habits to increase resiliency and enhance mental health include practicing gratitude and positive thinking, partaking in mindfulness activities such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, opening to others about your struggles, and seeking counseling support with a licensed mental health clinician when needed. These recommendations serve to strengthen recovery by relieving or better managing stress, anxiety, and other behavioral health issues and prevent helplessness and self-medicating behaviors.

Improving one’s social health entails developing strong connections with good people to form healthy and meaningful relationships and are essential ingredients for maintaining sobriety and recovery. Focusing on being your authentic self while learning to set boundaries and avoid toxic people are critical for your social health and recovery. Participating in 12-step meetings is an invaluable source of social support from the building of camaraderie and kinship to promoting responsibility and accountability. Consistent attendance at these meetings is instrumental to becoming whole again and supporting recovery.

There is now mounting concern that the steady decline in formal religious participation has played a significant role in the opioid crisis and “deaths of despair”. The restoration of spiritual health can improve overall wellness, build resiliency, strengthen family relationships and social connections, and free us to become honest with ourselves to clear a pathway for grace, forgiveness, redemption, inner peace, and recovery. Involvement in a faith community helps combat the toxicity of isolation and reestablishes spiritual growth by embracing our full identity to live a life full of purpose, belonging, and value.

With a better appreciation of the root causes of substance use disorders and “deaths of despair”, it becomes apparent that no family is truly immune. We must strive to help repair the deep wounds and fill the voids in the hearts of those afflicted to help them become whole again and no longer enslaved by their addictions. All these efforts will help transform this culture of despair to one of hope and healing to prevent more needless sufferings and deaths.

Dr Michael Hamrock

February 2023