Former Athlete Shares Survival Story Of Opioid Addiction From Sports Injuries

TAUNTON (CBS) — There are many benefits to participating in high school sports, but there are also risks few people consider. Every year, thousands of injured athletes are prescribed opioids, and many will become addicted. It happened to Corey Palazzi, a baseball standout from Taunton. During high school, he could throw everything from a curve ball to a knuckle ball–and major league scouts were taking notice. Corey Palazzi. (WBZ-TV) “I actually won the MVP of the whole league,” Corey recalled, when he was the youngest player on his Babe Ruth team. Things changed his junior year at Taunton High when a torn labrum muscle in his shoulder required surgery. Corey was prescribed Percocet for the pain. When his recovery didn’t go as planned, he was crushed. “I couldn’t throw like I used to,” Corey said. That realization was tough to handle for a teenager who was at the top of his game. Corey Palazzi. (Family photo) “The Percocets not only made the physical pain go away, but made the emotional pain go away,” he said. Corey’s mom, Lori Gonsalves, says she gave Corey the medication as prescribed, not knowing the risks. “The addiction was instant for him,” she said. “He tells me now that the first Percocet that he took, he loved it. He said his brain lit up like a Christmas tree.” The pills eventually lead to a heroin addiction, and in 2013, and overdose that nearly killed him. He survived, but suffered brain ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Syndicated Local Confronting The Crisis Corey Palazzi David Wade opioid crisis Source Type: news