(NAPSA)—Returning soldiers are susceptible to opioid addiction, but better treatments may help with recovery. Opioid addiction is prevalent among the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces due to numerousfactors. The stresses of wartime deployments and combat lead to more frequent alcohol and tobacco use, as well as a higher rate of prescription opioid abuse among military personnel than their civilian counterparts.' Veterans suffering from certain mental illness’ diagnoses, including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are morelikely to receive opioid prescriptions than other veterans despite the heightened risk of adverse events, which include overdose and suicide associated with those diagnoses." Research shows that psychological trauma is a predictor of opioid addiction amongveterans.” Opioid prescriptions—and addictions—often start during military service to treat physical injuries and can extend into civilian life. Physicians do not always know when a veteran patient reporting pain is requesting opioids for pain relief or to self-treat PTSD symptoms with the euphoria induced by opioids.” With an estimated 21-43 percent of PTSD patients experiencing substance-abuseissues,’ frontline practitioners and policymakers are looking for new treatments to combat the opioid epidemic. In the past, people with opioid dependence were seen as lacking the willpower or character to overcome their addiction.“ Recent studies point to biological causes: repeated use of opioids may lead to physical changes in the brain. In this paradigm, the opioiddependent patient’s brain adapts to the substance, and he or she needs these drugs to function.“ As a result of these new research findings, veterans addicted to opioids are viewed in a more sympathetic light. Acknowledging that the growing opioid addiction problem among soldiers is an institutional and not an individual problem, the Army has taken steps to reduce both the number and open-ended duration prescription opioids. of Prescription painkillers were involved in up to 74 percent of accidental or undetermined deaths between 1999 and 2006." New treatments under review In a report commissioned by the Department of Defense, the Institute of Medicine recommended that the U.S. military reworkits prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment service and ensure that these services expand and improve over time.* This report led to new opioid prescription governance that may help to check the newcasesof addiction. Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $21.7 million initiative that is comprised of 13 research projects over the next five years to judge the efficacy of nondrug alternatives for patients with pain and other conditions such as PTSD, drug abuse and sleep @ options, from mindfulness training to self-hypnosis, mobile brain monitoring, relaxation treatment, biofeedback guided exercises. and For veterans interested in treatment for opioid addiction, there is hope. According to Percy Menzies, president of the Assisted Recovery Centers of America, “There are a number of medication-assisted treatment options, as well as psychosocial counseling, that have proven useful in helping patients achieve recovery from opioid addiction.” Research has shown that combining medication with psychosocial support is a comprehensive wayto help patients with addiction and including medication with psychosocial support is now considered the optimal evidence-based approach.* Of course, treatments do not work the NIH acknowledged that, “Drugs, such as opioids, that are available to manage chronic pain are not consistently effective, have disabling side effects, may exacerbate pain conditions in some patients and are often misused.” the same for everyone. Treatment plans must be tailored to address each person’s drug addiction patterns and drug-related medical, psychiatric and social problems, and patients should discuss with their providers what’s best for them. While federal authorities acknowledge that opioid addiction in civilian, active military and veterans’ populations is an epidemic, non-opioid pain relief measures under investigation may just be part of the solution. When the veterans who have served our country with honor and valor need support to recover from opioid dependence, an evidencebased treatment approach, one that includes medication coupled with counseling, may lead to a successful recovery. drug treatments for pain and PTSDthat include a wide range of dependenceandits treatment, please visit www.recoveryispossible.com. issues. In announcing the project, The NIH plansto research non- For more information on opioid i DrugFacts: Substance Abuse in the Military (2013). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from hitps:/ / wwww.drugabuse.gov /publications / drugfacts / substance-abuse-in-military ti Seal, K.H., Shi, Y., Cohen, G., Cohen, BLE., Maguen, S., Krebs, H_E., & Neylan, T.-C. (2012). Association ofMental Health Disorders With Prescription Opioids and High-Risk Opioid Use in US Veterans ofIraq and Afghanistan. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol.: 307, No. 9. Retrieved from https: / /jama.jamanetwork.com / article.aspx?articleid=1105046 iii Fareed, A (2013). Prevention of Opioid Use Disorders for Veterans with Chronic non Cancer Pain and PTSD. Journal ofAddiction & Prevention. Retrieved from hitp:/ /www.avensonline.org / fulltextarticles /jap-2330-2178-01-0001. html iv Fareed, A (2013). Prevention of Opioid Use Disorders for Veterans with Chronic non Cancer Pain and PTSD. Journal ofAddiction & Prevention. Retrieved from hitp:/ /www.avensonline.org / fulltextarticles /jap-2330-2178-01-0001. html v Le Fauve, CE., Thomas, T., Salim, O., Marshall, J.S., & Stone, D. (2012). Pharmacologic Guidelines for Treating Individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Co-Occurring Opioid Use Disorders. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, No. SMA-12-4688. Retrieved from hitp:/ /media.samhsa.gov / co-occurring / docs / Pharm_Guidelines_508.pdf vi Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction (1997). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: National Institutes ofHealth Consensus Development Conference Statement. Retrieved from http: / /consensus.nih.gov / 1997 / 1998treatopiateaddiction108html. htm vii Williams, J.T, MacDonald, J.C., & Manzoni, O. (2001). Cellular and synaptic adaptations mediating opioid dependence. Physiol Rev. 2001; 81: 313. viii U.S. Army (2010). Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention Report. Retrieved from http:/ /csf2.army.mil/downloads/HP-RR- SPReport2010.pdf ix Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces (2012). The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine: Institute ofMedicine. Retrieved from hitp:/ /www.iom.edu / Reports /2012/ Substance-Use-Disorders-in-the-US-Armed-Forces / Report-Brief.aspx x NIH and VA address pain and related conditions in U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families (2014). U.S. Department ofHealth & Human Services: National Institutes ofHealth. Retrieved from http: / /www.nih.gov / news health /sep2014/necam-25.him xi Power, E.J., Nishimi, R.Y, & Kizer, KW. (2005). Evidence-Based Treatment Practices for Substance Use Disorders. National Quality Forum. Retrieved from hitp:/ /www.apa.org / divisions / div50 / doc /Evidence_-_Based_Treatment_Practices_for_Substance_Use_Disorders.pdf UNB-001315