Is Fentanyl death Suicide related?-Thoughts from a Counsellor

I shared recently, at one of my survivor's groups about the fact that death's related to Fentanyl use is NOT SUICIDE, in my view, and also not that of my daughter's view who is a registered nurse. Actually, I was undecided after I heard this lady speak who works and has burned out as a counselor in a local prison. These are her thoughts, and very important to consider.
" I've been thinking a lot and trying to figure out what's going on in my field. In part I agree with your daughter and in part think otherwise.

 

Nurses are in an odd place. As addiction becomes more of a medical issue (Methadone and Suboxone replacement therapies and harm reduction) they have moved to the forefront of addiction management. It annoys me that the medical model has almost replaced counselling and treatment but on the other hand what else can you do when so many people are dying of overdose? I work in health units (inside prisons) with nurses and have much respect for what all nurses face, especially now that so many clients are addicted to one thing or another. it complicates everything as well as making everything more crucial. The medical aspect becomes very complex--what drugs should you add to the cocktails that people are already consuming?

 

I mainly see it as a huge cultural issue--people are brainwashed by advertising and false materialistic values to think that they have to either speed up to compete and keep up, or, might as well drop out because they haven't got a chance of succeeding anyway. So I see it all as somehow pain related: some (maybe successful) people are willing to do anything to relax for a while and others have given up and don't care if they live or die. I guess their pain is so great that the relief they get from drugs is worth the risk. Some people who don't intend to take Fentanyl are dying because they thought they were taking something safer like MDMA, but organized crime puts Fentanyl into all kinds of drugs and not just Heroin. In short I think there's a lot of pain "out there" and it's hard to work your way out of it. So people turn to drugs.