Drug Overdoses Are the Second Leading Cause of Unintentional Injury Death in the U.S.

Effective Rehab Becomes an Essential Service as We Lose More Citizens to Unintentional Overdoses than Ever Before

The mortality rates from unintentional drug overdoses have been rising steadily since the early 70s, and in the last ten years, the number of these deaths has reached historic highs. Even the “black tar” heroin epidemic of the mid-70s and the crack cocaine peak in the 90s did not approach today’s numbers.

In 2005, the most recent year for which this data has been studied, 22,400 people died of drug overdoses. As a comparison, 17,000 people died from homicides that year, and only traffic crashes account for more deaths than overdoses.

But it’s not heroin or cocaine that’s leading the list of fatal drugs. The top class of drug is prescription drugs such as opioid painkillers which were listed as the leading cause of death in 38 percent of the cases. Methadone alone contributed 50 percent of the opioid painkiller deaths.

Considered as a group, prescription drugs such as painkillers and sedatives such a benzodiazepine totaled 45 percent of the deaths, whereas cocaine, heroin and amphetamines only amounted to 39 percent of the deaths. Studies have shown that a high percentage of those who die of prescription overdoses have a history of substance abuse, that many have no prescriptions for their drugs, and that some alter the drugs by crushing or dissolving them.

“Prescription drug use is so broadly acceptable in our society that, as a result, many addictive drugs are highly available,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma.

To read the rest of this article, please go to:
Drug Overdoses. Or visit the website of Narconon Arrowhead.