were forced to turn to virtual assistance once COVID-19 hit. He states that virtual assistance is not as effective as in-person group therapy. Schneider also believes that personal touch and a simple hug could help someone who is not getting that treatment during virtual sessions. Schneider also points out that the growing use of fentanyl is also concerning. For instance, it seems that fentanyl use is quickly accelerating because it is being manipulated by drug traffickers. Fentanyl is being placed into fake tablets, mixed into marijuana, methamphetamine, and even heroin. With all of these drugs possibly containing fentanyl
by way of mixing, they can become lethal. Schneider states that the number of annual opioid deaths in the United States pre- COVID-19 was between 72,000 and 82,000. However, post-COVID-19, the annual opioid deaths numbers spiked to 85,000 to 90,000, and most were related to fentanyl use. Moreover, roughly 90% of the deaths were people between the age of 15 and 54. With all of these numbers, Schneider states that he wishes there was more positive news, but that the silver lining is that there is more attention being brought in. But there are still more eyes that need to be brought in!
AWARENESS TOWARD THE CRISIS
Although Schneider believes that more attention is being given to the opioid epidemic, he does not believe that the public understands the seriousness of the crisis. He also points out that some in the public may not really grasp the gravity of the situation. Simply hearing the facts, but not knowing what it really means, which would be more of a surface level understanding of everything. Not much has been done to push people into action, but rather just get people familiar with these issues. There is also an issue of people not really taking these issues seriously, believing that addicts will be addicts. For example, Schneider explains that if there are 250 overdose deaths a day in the United States, 75% of those deaths will be from fentanyl. He believes that most of these deaths were from people who did not necessarily have an addiction problem, but rather were experimenting with drugs such as Xanax that were laced with fentanyl. Schneider explains, “This is not your father’s addiction.”That is, fentanyl deathsareusuallynot the result of an addiction that grows over time. Rather, they are often the result of experiments that end in overdose because of the emergence of fentanyl.He believes that the strength of the medication is one of the biggest problems. Schneider explains that during the Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite’s daily newscast reported on the number of deaths resulting from the conflict.
These reports, many historians assert, helped changed the public’s perception of the conflict as it progressed. Cronkite made it a point to read the number of deaths in order to bring in a real scope for just how real this war was. Schneider believes that a similar approach to the opioid crisis could help the American public understand the depth of the issues. However, it would bring eyes to the issue and change a lot of minds on just how dangerous this crisis really is. Even if the media were to take this approach, Schneider believes that it would not change the minds of many Americans, believing that stigma plays a major role in the thought process toward addicts. There is a belief from Schneider also believes that many Americans do not consider people who have overdosed from opioids to be innocent. “They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it,” Schneider remarked, echoing what he believes to be the view of many Americans regarding those with opioid issues. “They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it.” - Dan Schneider
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