Brava

August 2014

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AUGUST 2014 | BRAVAMAGAZINE.COM 45 Rock bottom isn't a place you tend to land unscathed. /ORISITSOMEWHEREYOULˬNDWITHOUTˬLONGHˬRDJOURNEYǠRST For 40-year-old Amy Edwards, the path to her rock bottom hit a terrifying new low after a prescription pill-induced seizure ˬNDˬHˬRDTUMBLEDOWNHERSTˬIRS%EEPLYHOOKEDONPˬINKILL- ers for years, she says it could have been her closest brush with DEˬTH "I couldn't get a hold of any opiates but I got some Tramadol [a LESSPOTENTPˬINKILLER>*WˬSJUSTSODESPERˬTETOGETHIGHr*TOOK oSHERECˬLLSn*FELLDOWNTHESTˬIRSBECˬUSEMYLEGSSTOPPED WORKINGŀEN*STˬRTEDTOSEIZEŀESTˬIRSWEREJUSTFEETFROM my bedroom, and I somehow managed to crawl to my bed and SLEEPo n*TWˬSREˬLLYSCˬRYoSHECONTINUES#UTLIVINGWITHOUTMORE PILLS *NTHˬTMOMENTTHˬTSEEMEDEVENSCˬRIERnŀENEXT MORNING*TOǠNDSOME7ICODINo &DWˬRDSWˬSINTHETHROESOFˬSIXYEˬRˬDDICTIONWITHHER DRUGSOFCHOICE7ICODINˬND1ERCOCET#YTHETIMETHEPROVER- bial fog would clear, she would pop up to 80 pills a day, steal, lie ˬNDLOSEHERCˬREER"SSURPRISINGˬSSHESTILLǠNDSHERˬCTIONS &DWˬRDSmORDEˬLISBYNOMEˬNSUNIQUE "MERICˬNmSROCKYRELˬTIONSHIPWITHNˬRCOTICSISWELLKNOWN "NINCREˬSEDPUSHINTHEMEDICˬLWORLDTOBETTERTREˬTPˬINr FROMPOSTSURGICˬLPˬINTODENTˬLWOESrLEDTOˬRISEINPˬIN- KILLERPRESCRIPTIONSINTHELˬSTDECˬDEˬNDWITHITˬNEXPLOSION INˬDDICTIONRˬTES*TmSˬPROBLEMTHˬTNOWDISPROPORTIONˬTELY ˬFFECTSWOMENˬNDˬLLTOOEˬSILYCLˬIMSLIVESŀE$ENTERSFOR %ISEˬSE$ONTROLˬND1REVENTIONESTIMˬTESTHˬTBETWEEN ˬNDNEˬRLYWOMENINTHE64DIEDFROMPRE- SCRIPTIONPˬINKILLEROVERDOSES8OMENBETWEENˬNDNOW HˬVETHEHIGHESTRISKOFDEˬTHFROMOVERDOSE 8HILEˬRECENTPUSHFORLIMITINGPRESCRIPTIONSHˬSHELPED MITIGˬTETHEǢOWOFPOPULˬRPˬINKILLERSMˬNYˬRESTILLGETTING HOOKED n*TmSSTILLINCREˬSINGoEXPLˬINS,IM+ORGENSENˬSOCIˬLWORKER ˬNDMˬNˬGEROF.ERITERmS/EW4TˬRTSUBSTˬNCEˬBUSEPROGRˬM "Right now it's considered a national epidemic because of the DEˬTHRˬTE"NDTHˬTHOLDSTRUEIN.ˬDISONo*NDEEDTHE8IS- CONSIN4TˬTE$OUNCILON"LCOHOLˬND0THER%RUG"BUSEREPORTS THˬTBETWEENˬNDPERCENTOF8ISCONSINRESIDENTS admitted to taking prescription painkillers for non-medical REˬSONS If you ask Edwards, she'll say she should have known bet- TER"FTERˬLLSHEWˬSˬNURSEˬMOTHEROFFOURˬNDˬWIDOWTO SOMEONEWHODIEDFROMˬLCOHOLˬBUSE#UTITWˬSNmTUNTILSHE REˬCHEDHERTRUEROCKBOTTOMrFˬCINGTHELOSSOFHERNURSINGLI- CENSEFORDIVERTINGPILLSrTHˬTSHEWˬSREˬDYTOTURNITˬLLˬROUND n0NETHING*HEˬRDIN""cTHˬTHˬSSTUCKWITHMEIS:OUHIT ROCKBOTTOMWHENYOUSTOPDIGGING8HEREVERYOUSTOPPEDˬND GOTHELPoSHESˬYS #UTFOR&DWˬRDSrˬNDSOMˬNYOTHERSrTHEQUESTIONREMˬINS 8HYWITHSOMUCHTOLOSEDOYOUEVERSTˬRTDIGGINGˬTˬLL

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