Overdose Deaths Reach Record High – Pandemic to Blame?

Between June 2019 and June 2020, just over 81,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States, according to figures published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those figures make for grim reading – that’s the highest number of fatal overdoses recorded in the United States in any twelve month period, and a staggering 20 percent increase in the numbers recorded between June 2018 and June 2019.

The Pandemic has Created the Very Factors in Which Drug Abuse Becomes Increasingly Common

Just as the United States seemed to be winning the battle again the opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic has come along to wipe away the progress that was being made. There are three common triggers for drug misuse, addiction and relapse:

• Isolation
• Stress
• Economic Upheaval

All these three factors are common attributes too when associated with the pandemic. The measures taken in an effort to combat the pandemic has stolen the opportunities for many people to get help and a support with their dependency. As a result, some people on treatment programs have been lost track of and many have relapsed and sadly for some, with fatal consequences.

“There’s all of these ways COVID-19 has hurt the folks we take care of,” said Stephen Taylor, an addiction specialist in Birmingham, Alabama. “Efforts to get this under control have really been decimated by the pandemic.”

Taylor also described how one of his patients had recovered from opioid addiction by following a twelve-step program along with help from a support group. The pandemic robbed the patient of the group as it was no longer allowed to meet up, and he relapsed.

Online Support Groups Do Not Work as Efficiently as Genuine Human Interaction

In terms of providing support during the pandemic, online support groups have proven to be unsatisfactory. Many members do not have sufficient bandwidth to attend group Zoom or Skype calls, and the lack of genuine human interaction is an issue.

Hopefully, when COVID-19 is finally brought under control the tide will be turned when it comes to the opioid crisis, but there are plenty of rough seas ahead.

Advanced Rapid Detox is Here to Help you Free Yourself from the Grips of Opioid Addiction

If you have been affected by a reliance upon opioids, then do not worry as help for you is at hand. Here at Advanced Rapid Detox, we can flush opioids completely from your body in only three days. Your treatment also takes place within a comfortable facility inside a hospital, and not in a hotel room as with organizations that offer similar treatments.

To learn more, contact us at (800) 603-1813, or online through our contact form.