NORFOLK, Va. — In just the first two months of 2024, nearly 1,500 people have found themselves in emergency departments across Virginia for opioid overdoses, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
One family in Hampton knows first-hand the impact of addiction.
News 3's Erika Craven met Tara Lonberger and her family Friday as she searched for a kidney donor.
That's when Lonberger shared about another hardship the family faced.
Lonberger's sister battled addictions to opioids as well as other drugs.
There were good periods, Lonberger explained, when her sister was trying to get help.
But she relapsed.
The worst moment came two years ago.
"My sister was gone. She was gone. She was cold, she was stiff, and that's how [my niece and nephew] found their mother," said Tara.
The overdose was fatal. It left a big impact on the children.
"I knew in that very second that we would be coming back with them. There was no doubt in my mind that they were our kids now," said Lonberger.
"It's an insidious disease that has led to a never-before-seen reduction in life expectancy in our lifetimes. It doesn't really matter what socio-economic level you come from," said Masaru Nishiaoki, MD, medical director of the Center for Dual Treatment at Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center. "It's not selective with victims."
Roughly two years ago the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center dedicated more beds — 40 percent — to people battling addictions.
"We've seen it full more than not [since then]," said Kurt Hooks, Ph.D., CEO at Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center.
Hooks explained that someone with substance use disorder is 15 percent more likely to die than someone in the general population.
"So, you can imagine the need and motivation to find answers. Right now, we have good evidence-based practices primarily medication-assisted treatment," said Hooks.
But how do we prevent addiction in the first place?
Answers for prevention could start with understanding how addiction works.
"It acts on a very primal part of the brain...it's important for us to be able to drink water or to eat food or find enjoyment in certain activities. What makes addiction so insidious is it's a disease in that part of the brain. So the brain begins to believe that the substance you're taking in is important to your survival," said Nishiaoki.
Doctors said prevention includes simultaneously addressing mental health.
"Substance use disorder care and mental health care is health care. Period," said Hooks.
It's been a priority for health institutes to find non-addictive pain treatments too. That includes companies looking for non-addictive pain relievers.
Vertex is one company hoping to get FDA approval for a non-opioid pain reliever later this year. It's supposed to work by blocking pain in the peripheral nervous system rather than acting in the brain.
Those at the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center said they're encouraged by how seriously the commonwealth's been treating the epidemic.
"It brought resources on board for our citizens. It's brought in more providers into the community to provide different levels of care, different types of care because it's being resourced and it's making a difference. That's something we hope to continue," said Hooks.
Addiction specialists and those directly impacted add that if you're struggling there's help, including the 988 hotline.
"If not for anything, [get clean] for your kids. Because they're seeing and they know a lot more than you think. I promise you that," said Lonberger.
The Lonberger family reports their kids are doing well, getting great grades in school, and have been bringing them so much joy.
