Regardless of the often-misinformed idea that the opioid epidemic is nothing more than media fear mongering, the fact of the matter is that overdoses have become such major part of the United States that it is actually having an impact on our national life expectancy. With over 70,000 people dying due to overdoses in 2017, it should be clear that the epidemic is very real and is having a substantial impact on our society. This all being said, if you or a loved one have a substance abuse problem, seek a rehab center as soon as possible. Don’t become part of this statistic.
Life expectancy in the United States dropped yet again as drug overdose deaths continued to climb — taking more than 70,000 lives in 2017 — and suicides rose, a US government report said Thursday.
The drug overdose rate rose 9.6 percent compared to 2016, while suicides climbed 3.7 percent, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics.
As a result, the average life span in America dropped to “78.6 years, a decrease of 0.1 year from 2016,” said the report.
The data comes as the United States grapples with a vast opioid epidemic, fueled by addiction to prescription painkillers as well as street drugs like heroin and synthetic opioids including fentanyl. Click Here to Continue Reading