The Deleware County News Network recently reported on a town hall meeting on opioid abuse in Haverford Township. The panelists at the event, organized by the Haverford Alliance for Drug Awareness (HADA) included Dr. Aviva Fohrer.
Here are some excerpts from the article.
Dr. Aviva Fohrer, a family doctor who specializes in addiction medicine, asked members of the audience to “Imagine being in a desert without food or water. Ahead of you, you see a shimmering pond. You walk up to it thinking…all I want is to drink.”
A small sign warns, however, that the water is poisoned. “Most of us would probably choose to keep going,” realizing that if they drank, they’d die, she said.
“I want you to think of addiction and those who struggle with the disease of addiction as someone who does not have the capacity to make that decision.”
Fohrer maintained that addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes or hypertension, that should be addressed at multiple levels, including medication, education and support.
While some of the blame for the current epidemic lies with doctors who prescribe drugs inappropriately, Fohrer argued that people who go to see physicians are “responsible for taking some accountability for what we do…We should talk to providers about what kinds of medications they’re prescribing, and how much…but also take some accountability for what we ask for.”
We’re a society that’s driven by the idea that “we should have no pain,” when we should be asking “how tolerable is your pain,” Fohrer said.
To read the full article click here. If you are concerned about substance abuse, reach out to Dr. Fohrer today.