Substance Abuse Trends in 2015 - Opioid Addiction

Opioid addiction has become a public health crisis in the US. In 2013, more than 100 deaths per day were attributed to opioid overdose, and this rate of accidental injury or death continues to grow. Opioid addiction is recognized as a chronic, progressive brain disease. However, addiction treatment is possible. Learning about the current trends in opioid addiction is an important part of recognizing possible dependency in a friend or family member, and it's crucial to future prevention efforts.

A National Health Crisis- Opioid Addiction and Overdose

With more than 100 people dying per day from accidental overdose, addiction to opiates is placing vulnerable individuals in great danger. Consider the following:

• Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death, overtaking car accidents or homicide
• About 2/3ths of prescription opiate users switch to heroin as a cheaper source of fuel for their addiction
• Accidental overdose poisoning from prescription painkillers has increased more than 90% in the past decade

Opiates and the Nation's Youth

For those in the addiction treatment field, the explosion of opioid abuse among youth is perhaps one of the most disturbing parts of this trend in drug use. If the US is ever to find freedom from addiction, it must address substance abuse in the most vulnerable demographic of all_�our own children.

• Daily, at least 2,500 children that are aged 12-17 abuse prescription opiates for the first time
• More than 50% of children abused painkillers that they received from a friend or family member
• The amount of opioid prescriptions written for adolescents have nearly doubled over the past decade

Addiction Treatment and Increase in Opioid Abuse

Addiction drives an afflicted individual to engage in risky and compulsive drug-seeking behaviors to satisfy intense drug cravings. Prescription painkillers are often a gateway drug to heroin use, which places users at a higher risk of:

• Contracting blood borne illnesses, such as HIV or hepatitis
• Being incarcerated
• Overdosing due to unknown potency of each hit

Addiction treatment can help to heal people who have suffered from this chronic disease. As more youths are drawn into the tangled web of opioid dependency, finding treatment becomes more crucial than ever. Freedom From Addiction can help you find that treatment. Call us today.