Millions of Americans have medical conditions that cause them either acute or chronic pain. For many, the go-to solution for pain management involves prescribedopioids.
However, these medications come with the significant danger ofabuse, addictionandoverdose. In fact, the growing number of people with an opioid use disorder has led to a rise in overdoses and deaths. There are new figures on these trends available from theKaiser Family Foundation.
Opioid Overdose Deaths Soaring Among Certain Age Groups
The Kaiser Family Foundation collects and distributes data on a variety of serious health conditions related to national health issues. One of those is opioid overdose deaths.
The most complete data for analysis was available through 2015, although there are some figures available for 2016. In 2015, there were 33,091 opioid overdose deaths in the United States. Thetop statesfor these tragedies were Ohio, New York, California and Florida.
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According to the statistics reported by Kaiser, it is not just younger Americans that experience opioid overdoses. In fact, the highest figures are coming from other age groups. In 2016, 9,747 Americans ages 35 to 44 and 9,074 people ages 45 to 54 lost their lives to an opioid overdose.
A tellingdrug trendis an increase in overdose deaths among those in the 55 or older age group. This is the group that has had the most dramatic increase in overdose deaths as a percentage of the total for the year.
In 1999, just six percent of the total opioid overdose deaths (518 people) involved people ages 55 or older. By 2016, that figure had jumped to 19 percent, representing 6,277 people.
Other Opioid Overdose Death Data
According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40 percent of all opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involvedprescription painkillers. The most common drugs found in these tragedies includeoxycodone,hydrocodoneandmethadone. Overdose deaths were also higher among men than among women.
An opioid use disorder is a serious condition that requiresaddiction treatment. This is not something that can or should be faced in isolation. Lasting recovery is possible, but it generally requires the care and attention of a team of addiction specialists that can guide you through thewithdrawalprocess and administer comprehensive, evidence-based services duringeach stage of treatment.
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The Recovery Village providesinpatientandoutpatientcare, treatment for co-occurring disorders,individual and group therapy, and aftercare to ease your transition back into everyday life.
Contact The Recovery Villagenow to speak with a knowledgeable and compassionate specialist that can answer your questions and thoroughly outline your admissions options.
