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Helping Heroes

Helping Heroes is an Attorney General program that provides free naloxone to participating emergency response agencies at participating Walmart Inc. (Walmart) pharmacy locations across Florida.

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Prevent Prescription Painkiller Abuse in Florida

Together, We Can Raise Awareness to Help Save Lives in Florida

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Get the Facts

It is important to get your “Dose of Reality” about the risks and dangers of using prescription opioids, as well as the signs of misuse, before it becomes a problem for you or your loved ones.

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Opioids are a family of drugs that include prescription painkillers such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, as well as illegal drugs like heroin. Nationally, over 70% of overdose deaths involved an opioid such as prescription opioids, heroin, or synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Provisional data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Medical Examiners Commission 2021 Interim Report, indicate there were 4,140 opioid-related deaths reported—a 6% increase as compared with the same time period of 2020.


The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States introduces new risks to Americans impacted by substance use disorder, as well as a series of new challenged related to treatment and recovery. According to the Florida Department of Health, in the first eight months of 2020 there was an unprecedented 43-percent spike in drug overdose deaths statewide in Florida, compared to the same time in 2019.

The Florida Office of the Attorney General is committed to helping prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers in Florida. Through Dose of Reality: Prevent Prescription Painkiller Misuse in Florida, our goal is to increase public awareness, education, and prevention efforts to prevent prescription painkiller misuse and save lives. Dose of Reality provides individuals, health care providers, teachers, coaches and others with opioid-related resources in one location, allowing for quick and easy access to vital information. This website includes details on approaches to preventing opioid misuse and addiction, proper pain management, safe storage of prescription painkillers, and guidelines on responding to an opioid overdose. It also features a statewide take back map of locations that accept prescription opioids for safe disposal.

Get Support

Prescription painkiller misuse affects the lives of many Floridians. Whether you are a doctor wondering how to warn patients of the dangers of opioids, a concerned parent, a teenager with a friend who is at risk of misuse, an employer with an employee who needs help, or someone who needs treatment yourself, see below for support.

Medical Professionals

Medical Professionals

Parents

Parents

Students

Students

Educators

Educators & Coaches

US Veterans & Service Members

Veterans

Seniors & Caregivers

Native Americans

Native Americans

Businesses

Businesses

ATLAS

ATLAS

Ashley Moody, Attorney General of Florida

Attorney General Ashley Moody

"The only way we defeat the opioid crisis is by working together, and Florida’s Dose of Reality website is designed to provide Floridians a way to easily access vital information and resources, so you can help us end this deadly crisis. As the Chair of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse, I am working every day to make sure local, state and federal agencies are coordinating efforts. Identifying effective strategies and implementing them statewide will bolster the state’s response by making sure everyone is using the latest and most effective data and resources. Much in the same way, ensuring the public has an online portal with the latest information and medical recommendations will help Floridians make informed decisions and fight the opioid crisis in their communities."

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