Drug Overdose Deaths Hit Record Numbers
Drug Overdose Deaths Hit Record Numbers
Drug overdose deaths are now at never before seen levels. These issues are completely out of control. Unfortunately, they have been for some time now with no indications of getting better.
Substance abuse is a serious problem, to say the least. The situation has gotten worse with each passing year. Hundreds of thousands of people will get rehabilitated. But, over a million more become addicted, making the problem a growing one, not a diminishing one. Perhaps the worst effect is the number of people who die because of addiction and substance abuse.
Looking at the Facts of Drug Overdose Deaths
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Trust for America’s Health (TAH)
These organizations work together diligently day in and day out to provide such statistical data evidence on this problem.
- More people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than in any year on record.
- The majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involve an opioid of some kind.
- Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids more than quadrupled.
- From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million people died from drug overdoses. Seventy-eight Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
- We now know that overdoses from prescription opioid pain relievers are a driving factor in the 15-year increase in opioid overdose deaths in the nation.
- Since 1999, the number of prescription opioids sold in the U.S. nearly quadrupled.
- However, there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans report.
- What has occurred as a result of the increase in prescription drugs is more and more death. These include deaths from prescription opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone, all of which have also quadrupled since 1999.
Addressing the Problem with Rehabilitation
The recommended way to tackle an addiction problem is rehabilitation. Inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers are proven to provide effective results for their clients. With professional and intensive inpatient rehab, the addiction crisis and the resulting overdose deaths are something that can be successfully addressed.
