The Texas Office of the Attorney General is working to protect Texans from the scourge of opioid painkiller abuse and related overdoses which are devastating families throughout the state.
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The Office of the Texas Attorney General, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and the Texas Department of State Health Services are committed to helping prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers in Texas. Through DOSE OF REALITY: Prevent Prescription Painkiller Misuse in Texas, our goal is to increase public awareness, education, and prevention efforts to preventing prescription painkiller misuse and save lives. Dose of Reality provides individuals, patients, health care providers, teachers, coaches and others with opioid-related resources in one location, allowing for quick and easy access to vital information. This new website includes details on approaches to preventing opioid misuse and addiction, proper pain management, safe storage of prescription painkillers, and guidelines on responding to an opioid overdose. It also features a statewide take back map of locations that accept prescription opioids for safe disposal. Texas Targeted Opioid Response TTOR expands access to treatment, prevention and early intervention, and provides long-term recovery supports for people with a history of, or who are at risk for developing, opioid use disorders and overdose. In addition, TTOR promotes outreach and education for the public and professionals through training and community events. This new opioid response initiative will also enhance re-entry, employment and housing for people affected by opioid use.
Public Health Response to the Opioid Crisis The opioid crisis is a public health emergency. Almost half of all drug overdose deaths in Texas involve opioids. The impact of opioid addiction spans all generations and cuts across all socioeconomic lines. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) recognizes the need to address opioid misuse in Texas. Much of the work at DSHS centers around two strategies:
Texas Opioid SummaryOpioid-Related Overdose DeathsTexas continues to have one of the lowest rates of drug overdose deaths involving opioids. In 2017, there were 1,458 overdose deaths involving opioids in Texas—a rate of 5.1 deaths per 100,000 persons, compared to the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.
Neuropathy Alliance of Texas
American Pain SocietyThe American Pain Society is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians, and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering.
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