Austin (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a new website to inform and educate Texans about the dangers of misusing prescription painkillers. The new site, Dose of Reality, provides individuals, patients, health care providers, teachers, coaches and others with opioid-related resources in one location, allowing for quick and easy access to vital information.
The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids cost lives and devastate Texas families in every region of our state, Attorney General Paxton said. Opioids such as OxyContin and hydrocodone are prescribed by doctors to treat moderate to severe pain, but have serious risks and side effects. When patients are not well informed, these drugs can inflict far more pain than they prevent. The Dose of Reality website is intended to give Texans the information they need to avoid those unintended consequences. My office will continue to do everything it can to protect Texans from the opioid crisis.
Opioids are a family of drugs that include prescription painkillers such as OxyContin as well as illegal drugs like heroin. Each day, 115 Americans die of opioid overdoses. Nationwide, there were 42,249 opioid overdoses in 2016, including 1,375 opioid-related deaths in Texas.
