ROIN USE.IN THIS COUNTRY.
>>: THESE SKILLS ARE SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN USE IN YOUR
EVERYDAY LIFE.
THIS IS A CPR OF EMOTIONAL
WELLNESS.>>: AS WE CONTINUE
TO DIVE INTO THE DETAILS OF THE
OPIOID CRISIS, WE WANT TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS.
RIGHT HERE IN OUR BACKYARD,
RESEARCH INSTITUTIS
PROFESSIONALS LEADING THE
NATION IN STUDYING
CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO
ARE ADDICTED TO SUBSTANCES.
AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS WORTH
OF RESEARCH, HE DESCRIBES THE
OPIOID EPIDEMIC AS THE PERFECT
STORM.
>>: DOCTOR WARREN BICKEL
DOESN'T SIT IN A LAB ANALYZING
BEAKERS AND TEST TUBES FOR A
LIVING.HE IS RESEARCHING MUCH
MORE SUBJECTIVE.
THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF
ADDICTS.>>: CERTAINLY MANY OF
US WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE
FIELD SEE THCRISIS.
>>: AFTER YEARS OF STUDYING
PEOPLE WHO ARE DEPENDENT ON
CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL AND OTHER
ILLEGAL DRUGS, DOCTOR BICKEL
SAYS OPIOIADDICTION HAS
TRIGGERED A NATIONWIDE CRISIS.
IF THIS IS WORSE THAN WHAT
WE'VE SEEN BEFORE?
>>: ABSOLUTELY IN TERMS OF THE
MORTALITY, ABSOLUTELY.
IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE SHOWING UP IN THE
EMERGENCY ROOM, ABSOLUTELY.
IN TERMS OF THE POTENCY OF THE
MEDICATION, THE DRUGS THAT ARE
BEING USED BY PEOPLE ON THE
STREET, ABSOLUTELY.>>: DOCTOR
BICKEL SAYS 142 AMERICANS A DAY
ARE DYING FROM OVERDOSE.
>>: MORE PEOPLE DIED IN 2016
FROM OVERDOSE THAN THE SUM
TOTAL OF ALL THE AMERICANS WHO
DIED IN THE 20 YEARS OF THE
VIETNAM WAR.
THAT IS STARTLING.
>>: DATA ANALYZED BY THE NEW
YORK TIMES, SAYS BETWEEN 59 AND
65,000 PEOPLE DIED FROM DRUG
OVERDOSES LAST YEAR.
WHILE 58,000 DIED OVER TWO
DECADES OF WAR IN VIETNAM.
>>: I FIND IT VERY CHALLENGING
TO THINK THAT 142 PEOPLE A DAY
,
AMERICANS
, RIGHT?
ARE DYING
.
WE GET CONCERNEDWHEN ANY OF
OUR TROOPS GET HURT.
I THINK WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT
THAT THE SAME WAY THAT WE THINK
ABOUT OUR OWN CITIZENS.
>>: DOCTOR BICKEL SAYS HIS
RESEARCH SHOWS HOW YOU SEE YOUR
FUTURE PLAYS A ROLE IN
ADDICTION.
BECAUSE YOUR OUTLOOK ONLIFE AT
TIMES KEEP IT RESPECTED, HIS
RESEARCH HAS FOUND THE AVERAGE
PERSON THINKS OF THEIR FUTURE
IN TERMS OF ABOUT THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS.
BUT ADDICT ON AVERAGE ONLY
THINK OF THE NEXT NINE DAYS.
HIS CONCEPT OF SHORT-TERM FOCUS
STARTS SPARKED HIS INTEREST
AFTER CONVERSATION DECADES AGO
WITH A MAN EXCITED TO TRY A
DEADLY BATCH OF HEROIN.
>>: HE SAID HAVEN'T YOU BEEN
READING THE PAPER?
THERE IS SUCH PEER HEROIN ON
THE STREETS OF BALTIMORE THAT
PEOPLE ARE OVERDOSING.
I HAD TO TRY SOME.
SO WHEN I HEARD THAT, I SAID
UNBELIEVABLE.
THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE.
I SAID IF COU
, IT'S NOT
LIKE THERE'S A LACK OF
KNOWLEDGE.
>>: THE QUESTION REMAINS, WHAT
COMES FIRST?
DOES AN ADDICT BEGIN THINKING
OF THEIR FUTURE BEYOND NINE
DAYS AND THEN QUIT DRUGS?
OR DO THEY GET CLEAN BEFORE
STARTING TO THINK LONG TERM?
DOCTOR BICKEL SAYS HIS RESEARCH
IS A STEP IN ANSWERING THE
QUESTION AND COULD SOON LEAD TO
BETTER TREATMENT PRACTICES.
WHEN ASKED HOW TO SOLVE THE
GROWING PROBLEM, HE SAYS WE ARE
NOT GOING TO GET OUR WAY OUT OF
IT AND THE FIRST STEP AMONG
MANY IS ADDING MORE TREATMENT
FACILITIES.
>>: PART OF OUR CHALLENGE NOW
IS IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO GET
TREATMENT, úúOFTEN THEY HAVE TO
GO ON A WAITING LIST FOR WEEKS
IF NOT MONTHS.
>>: pTREATMENT HE SAYS NEEDS TO
BE A CERTAIN AS THEIR NEXT
HIGH.
>>: THE REASON PEOPLE GET
TRACKED BY DRUGS IS WHEN YOU
EXPERIENCE THEM, THEY ARE
BRIEF, THEY ARE INTENSE AND
THEY ARE RELIABLE.
YOU CAN GO TO THEM ANYTIME, DAY
OR NIGHT AND DO WHATTHEY DO.
>>: DOCTOR BICKEL AND HITEAM
LIVED TO UNDERSTAND THE WHY
BEHIND ADDICTION.
SO AS A NATION, WE CAN WORK ON
THE HOW TO FIGHT IT.
>>: DOCTOR BICKEL CREATED A