Seeking recovery from an addiction takes an incredible amount of surrender. Many addicts see their death bed before they will ever get to see the inside of a drug and alcohol treatment facility. The Canadian government is trying to make the option of recovery more available to OxyContin addicts in their country. OxyContin addicts in Canada are now seeking help from addiction recovery clinics now that the drug isn’t available in Canadian pharmacies.
Dr. Jim McGorman, an emergency department physician who works once a week out of the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre in Canada says, “The clinic typically has one or two people every week call about getting help for their addiction. Over the past two weeks, 15 people have called regarding addiction issues.”
On March 1st 2012, drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma introduced OxyNEO, a tamper-resistant formulation of oxycodone to replace OxyContin. The new pill, which has a marshmallow-like texture, is nearly impossible to crush or inject – methods addicted users use to get around the drug’s slow-release formula. This move is hoped to change the face of opiate addiction in Ontario, Canada which has seen a 900 per cent increase in opiate use from 2001 to 2009. The province also has the highest rate of opioid use in the country. Between 2004 and 2006, Peterborough City and County ranked second highest for opioid prescriptions in the province.
Sierra by the Sea applauds the work of the Canadian government to help stop the abuse of opiates in the country. We encourage the USA to take the same steps to help our own citizens into recovery here in the states.
