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Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County Virginia
Fairfax County Virginia

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    • What are opioids?
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Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board

  1. Home
  2. Community Services Board
  3. What is addiction? What are opioids?

Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board Alert:

CONTACT INFORMATION: Emergency - 703-573-5679 / Detox - 703-502-7000 (24/7)
703-383-8500 TTY 711
csb@fairfaxcounty.gov
8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
FairfaxCSB
Jordan A. Scheff
Executive Director

Department Resources

  • Opioids
  • What are opioids?
  • Signs of opioid use
  • What to do if someone overdoses
  • Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education (REVIVE! Kit Training)
  • CSB services for substance use disorder
  • Addiction Medicine Clinic/OBAT
  • Peer Outreach Response Team
  • KNOW the RxSK - Use with caution
  • Get a medication lock box
  • Drug disposal information
  • Overdose safety plans
    • Safety plan in English
    • Safety plan in Spanish
  • National data on opioids

Related Resources

  • Fairfax Detoxification Center
  • Substance use disorder services
  • Return to main CSB page
  • Opioid and Substance Use Task Force
  • Contact the Opioid and Substance Use Task Force Coordinator
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  • linkedin

What is addiction? What are opioids?

What is addiction?

  • A chronic disease; can lead to death if not treated. Brain chemistry is altered.
  • Individual is unable to abstain from the drug; loses ability to control behavior.
  • Emotional responses become dysfunctional; judgment becomes impaired.

Learn More

  • Warning signs and risk factors for addiction.
  • What to do if someone overdoses.
  • CSB substance use disorder services.

What are opioids?

Opioids act on the brain and produce a euphoric effect.

  • Often prescribed to relieve pain. Morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, tramadol, methadone and fentanyl are all opioids.
  • The illegal drug, heroin, is also an opioid.
  • Highly addictive, even lethal, if used improperly.
  • Heroin and other illicit substances laced with carfentanil, xylazine, and/or fentanyl have appeared in illegal drug markets and are extremely dangerous for humans.

What is...?

  • Used for pain management for Stage 4 cancer patients.
  • Ten times more potent than heroin.
  • Lethal dose of pure fentanyl is about the size of a few grains of salt.
  • In 2020 in Fairfax County, police reporting indicates fentanyl has been found combined with cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, ketamine and synthetic cannabinoids.

  • Now present in illegal U.S. drug markets.
  • 10,000 times more potent than morphine; 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
  • Depresses the central nervous system and ability to breathe.
  • Tiny particles (through nose, mouth, injection) can create life-threatening effects within minutes of exposure.

  • Also called “tranq” or “tranq dope.”
  • Non-opioid animal sedative and not approved for human use.
  • More frequently showing up in the drug supply and has made the overdose crisis more severe.
  • May complicate overdose response because there is no drug to reverse its effects and it is undetectable without drug testing equipment.

Xylazine Fact Sheet

Download a printable fact sheet with more information about xylazine.

Printable Xylazine Fact Sheet

Rx Awareness

Prescription Opioids Stories

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    Related Resources

    • Fairfax Detoxification Center
    • Substance use disorder services
    • Return to main CSB page
    • Opioid and Substance Use Task Force
    • Contact the Opioid and Substance Use Task Force Coordinator
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