Anonymous doctor from Oklahoma City
Opioid addiction can (and does) impact anyone, regardless of age, gender, status. It can start with a single prescription. Addiction is an illness, not a character flaw, and there are very effective treatment options. In just a short time providing medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, I have seen people quickly regain control over their lives once treatment is initiated, restoring relationships, succeeding at work, and finding emotional stability.
My mother struggled with chronic pain and an unrecognized, except by loved ones, addiction to narcotics. After her death, from an unrelated cause, I had avoided seeking special training in addiction, as I thought it would pose too much of an emotional challenge. However, after seeing patient after patient walk through my door with opioid disorder, often having no treatment options, I felt that getting trained in buprenorphine and offering it as a treatment option was the right thing to do, for my patients and my community.