Opioid abuse amongst veterans

Opioid Abuse Amongst Veterans Research Paper Student’s Name Institution Course # and Name Professor’s Name Submission Date Active-duty United States Armed Forces members mostly experience dangerous situations that result in injury. From combat time vulnerabilities to carrying heavy equipment, these soldiers are literally in a world of injury and hurt. In this context, soldiers are prescribed opioids on the battlefield for pain management. Unfortunately, the user can abuse the drugs, potentially leading veterans down the addiction path. Veterans are also struggling with specific issues, including chronic pain, depression, suicidal thoughts, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which exacerbates their risk of abusing specific medications, such as opioid narcotics. This paper evaluates opioid abuse among veterans to establish possible solutions to the problem. It includes the background to the issue, risk factors for opioid abuse, and solutions to the problem. Background to the Issue Whereas opioids are effective in stabilizing and managing pain, discontinuation does not warrant that patients would avoid using the drugs. Research indicates that opioids are utilized for easy and quick fixes for pain relief and mental issues (Cesur et al., 2019). Patients who were placed on opioid treatment during hospital stay requested additional prescriptions within the next three to six months. This pattern indicates that physicians are unable to constrain treatment with opioids to mitigate abuse and augment cessation, particularly among chronic pain patients. Even when the physician initiates discontinuation during early treatment, it proves ineffective in assisting cessation amongst military members and veterans. According to Dalton et al. (2021), veterans and active-duty members were administered more opioids compared to their civilian counterparts, which increases the potential for abuse. Veterans who constantly use opioids during their active-duty years for pain management eventually get addicted (Beyer et al., 2021). This is because battlefield injuries lead to chronic pain, thus making the population dependent on opioids for pain management. Therefore, discontinuing opioid treatments does not assist veterans in preventing abuse or addiction. Risk Factors for Opioid Abuse It was established in the preceding discourse that veterans are at a heightened risk for opioid abuse. However, specific experiences contribute to the vulnerability to opioid addiction and abuse. First, multiple deployments contribute to opioid abuse because adjusting to civilian life becomes stressful for the veteran. Cesur et al. (2019) noted that post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan deployments placed soldiers at risk of injury-associated chronic pain, cheap opium supplies, and psychological trauma, each of which contributes to opioid addiction (Bennet et al., 2022). American military veterans who struggle with chronic pain due to their service comprise a disproportionate share of opioid-associated mortality. In this vein, veterans are twofold more likely to die from opioid abuse compared to members of the general population (Cesur et al., 2019). Accordingly, combat exposure leads to trauma and stress. Opioids are typically used as a...