“Tragic Choices: Mother Receives 14-Year Sentence After Tragic Night of Co-Sleeping with Intoxicated Baby”
In Hoffmannâs opinion, co-sleeping, especially when parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, constitutes child neglect.
Experts warn that a mixture of opioids and benzodiazepines, the exact combination Cavanaugh was taking, causes a 10-times increase in the likelihood of overdose
Image credits: rawpixel.com / Freepik (Not the actual photo)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse published an article in 2022 about the dangers of combining Benzodiazepines, a family of central nervous system depressants, with opioids. The resulting mix caused an estimated 14% of all overdose deaths involving these substances in 2021.
âEvery day, approximately 220 Americans die after overdosing on opioids,â the article read.Â
âCombining opioids and benzodiazepines can increase risk of overdose because both types of drugs can cause sedation and suppress breathing.â
The mix can be so lethal that a study in North Carolina found that the death rate among patients receiving both types of medications was 10 times higher than those who were only prescribed opioids.
A similar study found that patients with psychological disorders, such as veterans suffering from PTSD and drug addicts, were particularly vulnerable to the combination, reporting an increased risk in dose-dependent fatalities.
Netizens lamented the childâs passing but the severity of the motherâs sentence caused debate among readers, with some justifying it and others believing it to be too extreme
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (Not the actual photo)
âSeems a little harsh. 14 years for something that seems like an accident even if she was remorseful?â one wrote, explaining how the already tragic incident was punishment enough for the mother.
