FREE APPRAISALS • WE COME TO YOU!
www.EliteAuction.com
ALL ANTIQUES & ART WANTED
Classified....................................4B-6B Hallandale Beach News...................4A Hollywood News..............................2B Lifestyles..........................................2B
(305) 332-7309 Broward
(954) 205-3446 Palm Beach
We Will Provide You One Of Our Expert Appraisers Of 40 Years At No Charge CALL US FIRST!!! HIGH PRICES PAID IMMEDIATELY!!!
Art & Culture Center.........................3A Aventura News.................................3B Calendar...........................................5A Casino @ Dania Beach.....................8A
Miami
(561) 301-9421
J A N U A RY 3 , 2 0 1 9 • 1 4 PA G E S • V O L U M E 1 7 • I S S U E 1 4
AVENTURA • BAL HARBOUR • DANIA BEACH • HALLANDALE BEACH • HOLLYWOOD • NORTH MIAMI BEACH • PEMBROKE PINES • PEMBROKE PARK • SURFSIDE • SUNNY ISLES BEACH
MAJOR OPIOID CRISIS
This Country Has Been Hit Hard By The Misuse of A Pain Killer
By Larry Blustein sfsuntimes@aol.com Tonya Fortune of Hollywood was in a car accident in June of 2012. Her life has never been the same. The result of this twocar crash in Miami-Dade County was a broken back, torn ACL in her left
leg and multiple head wounds. Not to mention emotional scars that will never go away. “I could only remember this unreal pain that I had – the kind whether you question if you will make it,” she recalled. “I was a mess. With all the pain and discomfort com-
ing from every part of my body, I was looking for relief and didn’t care where it came from.” What Fortune never paid attention to was the fact that while the pain medication would bring relief, it could be addictive, and that is something she never could have pre-
pared herself for - in any scenario. Having this intense pain with no avenue to alleviate it – other than medication - she was prescribed opioids for the pain, believing that it would not become a problem. She was wrong. Even back in the
1990’s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers. That gave the healthcare providers a green light to prescribe them at greater rates. What happened with
these pain killers is the widespread diversion and misuse - before it became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive. It took Fortune nearly three plus years to fight off that opioid addiction and get some sense of normalcy back in her life. “I will never be the same for a number of reasons,” she pointed out. “First of all, the injuries I sustained will be with me over my lifetime, and the emotional scars from the medication will be something that I will have to learn to live with – like I have for the past 8 ½ years.” In 2017, more than 35,000 Americans died as a result of an opioid overdose, including prescription opioids. That same year, an estimated 2.5 million people in the United States suffered from substance use, disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers.
HOW DO WE GET HOOKED Opioids trigger the release of endorphins, your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters. Endorphins
Opioids, Page 3B
Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution 1st Priority Restoration: The Perfect Place To Do That. Call 1-800-617-1112!
Have you ever had your carpets cleaned? Then you know that it is not an easy job. But at 1st Priority, professionals go to work and thoroughly clean your carpets in one hour. They also move or lift furniture and place on Styrofoam blocks to really steam clean those hard to reach spots.
Every year, there are things that we point to as our New Year’s resolution - and really never stick to them. But this year is going to be different - because it’s all about making those much needed repairs around the home that we continue to put off. From water damage, which brings on mold and mildew, to getting those floors and carpets cleaned, it will be all about spending the first part of year, getting ready for the hurricane season in June. At 1st Priority Restoration, being around during hurricane season - to help you rebuild and pick up the pieces after a storm is fine, but what about the other six months? From now until the end
of May, 1st Priority Restoration will come in and assess your needs and sit down to talk about what has to be done. That is a process that many are not pleased with, but with decades of experience, they know how to fix issues - and understand what everyone is going through.
1ST PRIORITY FOR THE NEW YEAR If you have lived in south Florida for any period of time, you already know that the weather is ever changing, and for that reason, the rainy season can happen at any time. It doesn’t have to be a tropical system to cause flooding and everything that goes along with it. Providing a profes-
sional, complete cleaning job has become 1st Priority Restoration’s trademark. What continues to separate them from anyone else is they can take care of all of your cleaning and water damage problems - as well as conducting leak and mold detections, and working with your insurance company and adjuster.
THEY ARE HERE YEAR ROUND By calling 1st Priority Restoration at 1-800-6171112, you are getting a business that understands it all - and is ready to spring into action 12 months a year. When you need a water damage and restoration business in
1st Priority, Page 7A
WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE
PEGASUS CUP
MLK HOLLYWOOD
KODNER GALLERIES
AVENTURA POLICE GETS RESIDENTS READY, 4A
JAPAN’S AEROLITHE IS ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON, 3A
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A HUGE ICON, 2B
ANTIQUES & MUCH MORE IN DANIA BEACH, 2A