What do you know about the opioid epidemic in 2020? Many people would say they have heard about a significant amount of drug abuse and even that more people are using opioids than ever. However, many do not realize just how much of an impact it is having. Opioid drug abuse is on the rise. Millions of people are facing addiction, and hundreds are dying as a result of this epidemic. For those who recognize they have a problem, opioid addiction treatment is available.
What Are the Statistics with the Opioid Epidemic in 2020?
Perhaps the most important figure to know about the opioid epidemic of 2020 is this one. Every day in the United States, 192 people die from an overdose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2017, 70,237 people died from overdoses across the year. Of these, 67.8 percent of all overdoses are related to opioid use.
Keep in mind that opioid drug abuse comes in various forms. It does not happen to just those using illicit substances. For example, many of the people facing overdoses have a prescription for them, written by a doctor. Others obtain fraudulent prescriptions because they have run out of their own.
There is still a large number of people who use opioids in their illicit form. These forms include heroin and fentanyl, one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. Opioid drug abuse like this requires advanced care and treatment.
Why Is This Happening?
When you consider just how many people are dying from these drugs, you may wonder why this is occurring. Generally speaking, many factors have contributed to the opioid epidemic in 2020.
Increased Prescriptions: One of the critical causes is the number of doctors who began to write prescriptions for opioids after manufacturers told them it was safe to do so. Doctors have prescribed these drugs as a way to treat pain for many years because they are beneficial. Yet, most did not know that they were so addictive.
Increased Access to Illicit Drugs: Drugs like heroin have become more accessible to get than before. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, relaxed inspections and management at borders made it easier for drugs to enter into the U.S. That allowed for more of these high-risk, illicit drugs to become more commonly used and sold on the streets.
Highly Toxic Combinations: Another critical factor in opioid drug abuse comes from the number of people who have seen their other illicit drugs, such as cocaine, mixed with opioids, including fentanyl. This type of combination makes the drugs highly lethal and creates addiction even with infrequent use.
What Can You Do About It?
If you are facing opioid addiction, realize you are not alone in this process. There is help available to you at an opioid detox center in Jacksonville, FL. Detox is nearly always the first step for people with opioid addiction because of how addictive and dangerous it is. When you enter detox, you allow your body to naturally remove the drugs from your system while doctors provide you with medications to ease pain and discomfort.
From here, residential and outpatient drug therapy can help you to recover. You do not have to be a victim or another number in the opioid epidemic of 2020.
You can also help your loved ones to get help. If you know that a loved one, neighbor, or friend is using opioids, they may need help to stop using. Because of how powerful this type of drug addiction is, people may be unable to stop using opioids on their own. To protect their health and their future, reach out and help them to get help for opioid drug abuse. The opioid epidemic of 2020 doesn’t have to cost them their life.
