America is currently in the grips of a widespread opioid addiction crisis that is believed to have begun in the 90s but has spiked significantly in recent years Based on 2015 statistics and information collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  approximately 33 000 Americans lose their lives each year due to an opioid addiction related health condition  which most commonly manifests as an opioid overdose that throws the user into cardiac arrest