doctors often times prescribe powerful pain medications to these entrants with things like oxycontin for instance but over prescription of often leads to life threatening addiction. rt is a curie and barring reports the good news an overdose has taken so many lies in america that the white house classifies it as an epidemic sadly our nation's veterans are some of them. i'm becoming addicted to prescription drugs. veterans like makes the fun of it. i got discharged honorably discharged from the marine corps in two thousand six all in one a key moment when i started using tools everybody talks to god oxycontin is the latest tried to treat severe acute or chronic pain. veterans hospitals are increasingly prescribing the drug to people with chronic pain the la salle had poster matic stress disorder it. on its shores. to that of a flood of disorders that you come back from the mayor with immediately. mental illness can increase a person's risk of addiction. so that addiction turned to snow balled and spiral out of control on to the point where i lost everything. it's the monday got so cau

doctors oftentimes prescribe powerful pain medications to these veterans with things like oxycontin for instance but overprescription often leads to a life threatening addiction perry and boring reports prescription drug abuse and overdose has taken so many lives in america that the white house classifies it as an epidemic sadly our nation's veterans are some of the most at risk of becoming addicted to prescription drugs veterans like nick stefan a brick i got this shirts are we discharged from the marine corps in two thousand and six. and when i came home and when i started using pedals. for everything. oxycontin is an opioid prescribed to treat severe acute or chronic pain veterans hospitals are increasingly prescribing the drug to people with chronic pain who also have post-traumatic stress disorder almost worse than the type of medical disorders that come back from combat with immediately but mental illness can increase a person's risk of addiction so that addiction turned just snowballed and spiraled out of control. to the point where i had lost everything divina vick got so caught

oxycontin is an opioid prescribe to treat severe acute or chronic pain veterans hospitals are increasingly prescribing the drug to people with chronic pain who also have post-traumatic stress disorder almost cures. the type of medical disorders that come back from combat with immediately but mental illness can increase a person's risk of addiction so that addiction turned just snowballed and spiraled out of control. to the point where i've lost everything divina vick got so caught up in his addiction he was ultimately arrested for writing fraudulent checks to buy drugs illegally oxycontin is an opioid and addictive painkiller that resulted in over sixteen thousand deaths in two thousand and ten that number has been increasing over the past eleven years despite its highly addictive nature the number of opioid prescriptions written by the v.a. has risen by over two hundred eighty seven percent between one thousand nine hundred nine and two thousand and twelve in two thousand and twelve alone the v.a. treated over fifty thousand veterans for issues associated with opioid use many of which wer

in his addiction he was ultimately arrested for writing fraudulent checks to buy drugs illegally oxycontin is an opioid and addictive painkiller that resulted in over sixteen thousand deaths in two thousand and ten that number has been increasing over the past eleven years despite its highly addictive nature the number of opioid prescriptions written by the v.a. has risen by two hundred eighty seven percent between two thousand and nine and two thousand and twelve in two thousand and twelve alone the v.a. treated over fifty thousand veterans for issues associated with opioid use many of which were overdoses according to a study by the v.a. veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are more than twice as likely to be prescribed opioids which is a pain killer at the same time opioids can have a toxic reactions to other common p.t.s.d. medications. but is it safe to give opioids to people who have p.t.s.d. i asked produce pharma the leading producer of oxy cotton about this and they told me opioid anneli jacks are an important part of treating veterans who suffer from chronic pain there yo

you eventually some day try oxycontin. >> at your peak, how much were you taking?ght to ten 80s in a day. and still functioning. >> eight to ten 80s? >> yeah. >> they're 10 to 15 times stronger than anything we used to have, and i don't think that people fully appreciate how strong those medicines are. and they're longer and longer acting, and that's part of the problem, too. >> another problem, these powerful painkillers were originally intended to treat end of life and cancer patients, but see, those patients didn't live very long so there wasn't long-term data on what they would do to ben or to me or, frankly, to most people who now take them. they are being prescribed for all sorts of chronic pain problems with no data to suggest high doses of powerful painkillers are either safe or effective over the long term. >> when did you start taking opiates? >> dr. jane ballantine is an anesthesiologist at the university of washington. >> you had very good physical therapists. >> ten years ago, while treating patients on high-dose painkillers, she found something surpri

on the score was a media star levy on the risks and challenges faced all it was open as this is oxycontin the eye the room the court obama is happy smiley self. the photo with that the nation british prime ministers at them until a funeral and international incident. before we realize obama for doing something stupid a funeral when to clear one thing up the washington post says that this action occurred at the memorial service after the funeral was over. and trust me after about three hours of serious collectors of a conference or some sort of super long wedding. most of us will just be hanging our heads against a wall of boredom and i've probably check my email about seven times the bomb was placed. no i said most of us but the president's posted like most of us because he represents all of us. it's one thing when you're fourteen and too stupid to realize that some people rose at the week after grandpa's funeral. isn't that idea was another thing entirely when one of the most photographed and powerful people on the planet takes this healthy at the memorial service of someone he claims to

one reason, doctors are prescribing more and more percocet, vicodin, oxycontin and we can't seem to stopng them. in fact, almost all of abused pain meds start as legitimate prescriptions for real pain. then a growing number of addicts buy leftover pills or just take them from friends' medicine cabinets. today's medical group is the latest calling for tougher rules and some are coming. expect to see fewer pills per prescription, and a mandatory visit to the doctor to get a renewal and no more prescriptions over the phone. >> this is a problem because we never throw pills away. here's what you do. go to your medicine cabinet and get rid of pain medicines or sleeping pills that you no longer use. you can't just throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet. check with your police department. they may have a drop box or get a ziploc bag and put the pills in there, add water, coffee grounds or kitty litter, shake it up and throw it away and you will know that no one is going to get to it. >> at least this is a beginning of addressing the problem. >> only a part but it can help. >> tha

. >> oxycontin and so forth. >> vica din and that can make you loopy and you are behind a whole of ar? >> and the other concern they put your dna in a database. >> that is a concern a lot of the people have. >> but this is making me safer. who cares if they take a swab. they paid the individuals. >> and they did. but the thing that is upsetting people, they claim it is voluntarily. but the people felt pressured and they were questioned before they were let go. and so it does feel big brotherish. you are pulled over for no fault of your own and haven't done anything wrong on the road and they are asking to go inside of your mouth and swab it? >> that is a perfect point. do you have a choice when the cops are pulling me offer? unless they challenge it in court and have a compelling state interest, the only way i will detect someone driving under the influence is take the swabs. >> every time i am around a cop i feel guilty of something. >> mereddies, thank you so much. and we would love to hear what you have to say. find us both on twitter. >> ladies and gentlemen, we have not just one

basically putting a bandage over it, taking, you know, like painkillers, vicodin, prescribed to me and oxycontincause it got so bad i had to take them to play. >> dana says she graduated to heroin when her health insurance ran out and she could no longer afford prescription drugs. in the cold quiet of her jail cell, struggling without heroin and facing charges, dana realizes she has hit rock bottom. >>> i had scholarship offers from, i mean, i can't even count how many universities. i mean, i could have basically played sports anywhere that i wanted to. >>> there is nothing more shocking than understanding that this young woman, who we will call dana, was a highly recruited college athlete just a few short years ago. at dana's request, we refrain from mentioning specifics. >> i had scholarship offers from i mean, i can't even count how many universities. i mean, i could have basically played sports anywhere that i wanted to. that's why i'm doing this. i have a drug problem. >> okay. >> we met dana at what she now admit was the lowest part of her life. strung out on heroin and selling her body fo

basically putting a bandage over it, taking, you know, like painkillers, vicodin, prescribed to me and oxycontinause it got so bad i had to take them to play. >> dana says she graduated to heroin when her health insurance ran out and she could no longer afford prescription drugs. in the cold quiet of her jail cell, struggling without heroin and facing charges, dana realizes she has hit rock bottom. >>> i had scholarship offers from, i mean, i can't even count how many universities. i mean, i could have basically played sports anywhere that i wanted to. nt to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. eb's. the only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition... easy. eggland's best eggs. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb. [ male announcer ] if we could see energy... what would we see? ♪ the billions of gallons of fuel that get us to work. ♪ we'd see all the electricity flowing through the devices that connect us and teach us. ♪ we'd see that al

at 22 you will spend $20 on a little yellow pill called oxycontin and that 40 milligram pill will turnited back into the league. two years later that one little yellow pill will become a syringe and stay in your arm for the next six years. addiction will follow you wherever you play addiction will be your toughest opponent. as a husband and father you'll spend every dime you ever made on drugs and put your family in debt. you'll feel defeated and at times suicidal. but one day please know you will find meaning to find back. on august 1st, 2008 your awakening begins. you're granted a day off campus from treatment to see the birth of your son. yet again you fail. after his birth you walk out of the hospital and go get high. upon returning from your relapse, your counselor tells us to pick up the phone and promise your wife you will never call her again and to tell your three kids their dad has died in a car accident because you don't deserve a family and you should let them live but instead you pray for sobriety and from that prayer on, god willing, you will stay sober. treatment and fai

since 2012, one metric has used its use of high-dose opiates by 20% and decreasing oxycontin use by 99%. [applause] for veterans entering the justice system who are dealing with substance abuse, we have established something all the justice outreach, vjo. it is an office of 172 full-time specialists working directly with the justice officials to see that veterans who are either before the court or already in jail get the care they need and that courts are supported in their consideration of best possible alternatives to incarceration on this. we are supportive of you on this. we are working to connect our specialists with american indian tribal justice systems to do the same thing. in their first year, 2010, vjo specialist served 5800 veterans. this year that number is up to nearly 36,000 veterans, and we plan to hire another 75 specialists next year. very few of the veterans who are served by vjo are first-time offenders. over 93% who have spent time in jail or prison, 20% have spent a year or more behind bars. 40% of these veterans have been homeless at least once. these are the chall

taken steps to reduce the use of opiates. 012, one metric has dose its use of high- and decreasing oxycontin use by 99%. [applause] for veterans entering the justice system who are dealing with substance abuse, we have established something all the justice outreach, vjo. it is an office of 172 full-time specialists irking directly with the justice officials to see that veterans who are either before the court or already in jail get the care they need that arets -- and that courts supported in their consideration of best possible all turner's to toarceration -- alternatives incarceration on this. we are supportive of you on this. we are working to connect our specialists with american indian tribal justice systems it is the same thing. -- justice systems to do the same thing. in their first year, 2010, vjo specialist served 5800 veterans. this year that number is up to and we36,000 veterans, plan to hire another 75 specialists next year. -- very brethren serve few of the old who are served by vjo our first time offenders. over 93% who have spent time in jail or prison, 20% have spent a year o

based in minneapolis, has cut its use of high dose opiates by more than 50% and all but eliminated oxycontin prescriptions, ecreasing them by 99%. for veterans entering the justice system already dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues, we established something called the veterans justice outreach, v.j.o., it's an office of 172 full-time specialists working directly with justice officials to see that veterans who are either before the court or already in jail get the care they need that courts -- and that courts are supported in their consideration of best possible alternatives to incarceration. we are in support of you on this. we are also working to connect our v.j.o. specialists with american indian tribal justice ystems to do the same thing. in their first year, 2010, v.j.o. specialists served about 5,800 veterans. this year that number is up to nearly 36,000 veterans, and we plan to hire another 75 specialists next year. very few veterans served by v.j.o. specialists are first time offenders, and i think most of you in the room know that. in fact, they average seven prior a