Note on Terms:


What's the Difference Between Opiate and Opioid?


Put simply: Opiates are natural, and Opioids are synthetic.  Heroin and codeine are opiates, while oxycodone and percocet are opioids.  The understand the epidemic in the United States you must include both.  The term is "Opiate" is used commonly to cover both Opiates and Opioids.


Opiate vs. Opioid:   From: Opium.com:

Opiates or opiate drugs originate from naturally-occurring alkaloids found in the opium poppy plant. These drugs are best known for their ability to relieve pain symptoms. This property originates from the plant alkaloids. Opiate drug types include heroin, opium, morphine and codeine.

Both opiates and opioids are in some way derived from opium.

While similar to opiates, opioids are actually synthetic drugs that produce opiate-like effects, according to a Yale University report. So when comparing opiate vs. opioid, both substances produce pain-killing effects. Examples of opioid drugs include:

Demerol
Oxycodone
Fentanyl
Methadone
Percodan
Percocet

Opioid Painkiller Abuse  (Harvard University School of Public Health)

More than 1,000 died in MA alone in 2014 due to Opiate Addiction   (WBUR / 4-29-15)


Opioid crisis: Seeds of addiction started with efforts to fight pain    (MassLive.com / 6-4-15)



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Important Message from Sky High Billing Team:

These photos are of real people who suffered and many who died due to opiate overdose.  


We feel it is important to show the Face of this Epidemic.  Our motive is to inspire action towards change (so that other families do not have to face these tragedies).


If your loved one is pictured here, and you wish us to remove the photo we will of course respect your wishes.  Due to the nature of this project we were unable to gain pre-approval from all the families involved.  These photos were taken from publicly sourced materials.


A Select Few Articles and News Reports:


Information sheet on opioid overdose  (World Health Organization / Nov 2014)


Epidemic of fatal opiate overdoses persists amid deepening concerns (Buffalo News / 4-1-15)


​Donnelly promotes plan to reduce opiate abuse  (New York Times / 4-29-15) 


​Overdose crisis in Worcester continues as opioid summit brings experts together  (Worcester Magazine) 


The New Face of Heroin  (Rolling Stone / 4-14)

The Nature and Scope of the Problem

Why Focus on the Opiate / Opioid Epidemic?