STATISTICS & TRENDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Americans Still Receive Too Many Opioid Painkillers

While opioid prescribing has declined slightly in recent years, Americans still receive far too many of these drugs—and way too easily.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why Did Overdoses Drop in 2018 and Why are They on the Rise Again?

Public reports indicate the U.S. drug overdoses declined slightly in 2018. Was this the result of public policy, or was it the result of foreign nations cracking down on drug trafficking?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

One in Ten Americans Uses Painkillers

It’s a shocking statistic that one in ten Americans uses painkiller drugs. But that is the brutal truth, and it’s a level of use that must be addressed. There is no reason why ten percent of the U.S. population should be prescribed addictive pain drugs,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Addiction in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City

Oklahoma may seem like a peaceful, sun-filled land of rolling hills and prairies. But this area also struggles with a severe drug problem. It is a public health crisis that affects cities and rural communities alike.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Now More Than Ever, It’s Time to Get Clean

People who struggle with drug addiction and alcohol abuse are at higher risk of contracting an illness. And in a time when a contagious virus is spreading across America, it could not be more vital that struggling addicts seek help as soon as possible.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

One Million Meth Addicts

Meth addiction is skyrocketing, despite the clearly harmful nature of meth use. Why is meth growing in popularity? And what can people do to curb this problem?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opiate Prescribing Trends Have Fallen – What Does that Mean for Opiate Addiction?

Opiate prescribing trends seem to have fallen across America. This is movement in the right direction; however, there is still much to do to effectively tackle addiction in our nation.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Use Consistently Underreported Study Shows

A recent study highlighted the large gap between reported drug use when questioned and later quantitative tests on provided samples.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Is Increasing Unemployment Associated with Increasing Drug Use and Overdose Statistics?

The sad story of Gary, Indiana provides a vivid illustration of research that finds increasing unemployment correlates with increasing overdose losses.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

One Percent of Doctors Responsible for 25 Percent of Opiate Prescriptions – A Look at Overprescribing

Sometimes we want to blame the medical community for the opiate epidemic our nation is now stuck in. But as it turns out, the vast majority of doctors have nothing to do with the overprescribing of addictive pain meds. In fact, only a small percentage...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Prevention and Rehabilitation Solution to the 21st-Century’s Worst Public Health Crisis

With the onset of the New Year and the new decade ahead , I decided to do some light reading of health-related reports for the last twenty years, as well as projections for the coming decade. I happened across a report from Brookings. Its opening statement...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Ohio’s Recent Groundbreaking Settlement with Big Pharma

In the last year, several pharmaceutical lawsuits have come to the forefront of our attention. We can thank the media for that. But in this case, it’s a good thing that these lawsuits have been reported on so extensively. We’re speaking of course of...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Do “Sin” Taxes Actually Work in Reducing Drug and Alcohol Use?

Almost two decades into the 21st century, it's easy enough to look back and see our accomplishments thus far. The innovation of robotic limbs, evidence of water on Mars, advancements in HIV cures, inventing new tech to use water as a clean energy source,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Aging, Substance Abuse, Leads To Spike In Cancer Deaths

A recent news report in U.S. News opens with, “Due to population growth and aging, the number of cancer cases worldwide is expected to jump 60% by 2040 – but unhealthy lifestyle habits are likely to make the surge even larger.” That’s a pretty...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Is it Possible to Achieve Pain Relief Without Using Painkillers?

One would hope we were approaching a point where the American people and the medical industry is fully aware of the risks and dangers connected with opioid painkillers. “Opioids are a last resort for chronic pain management.”

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Tainted Alcohol—One More Reason Not to Drink While on Vacation

As it turns out, a pretty disturbing news story in USA Today is causing a lot of people to rethink copious alcohol consumption while on vacation. The article talked about a case out of Costa Rica, in which “tainted” batches of alcohol caused 25 deaths...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Silent Generation Is Silent on Alcohol Misuse

When we think of drug and alcohol addiction, we almost always think of grown adults or young adults. Sometimes we think of teenagers or adolescents. But we rarely think of senior citizens, the demographic over the age of 65. And that’s a big mistake.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

National Panel Urges Changes to Addiction Screening

A surprising headline in an August 13th, 2019 issue of “U.S. News“ reads, “All U.S. Adults Should Be Screened for Illicit Drug Use, National Panel Urges.” That came as a bit of a shock. Such an approach has never been suggested before.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why Is the World’s Wealthiest Nation Also a World Leader in Drug Overdoses?

The United States is undoubtedly one of the most powerful, wealthiest, and most advanced countries in the world. And while we should always anticipate some shortcomings in even the greatest of nations, it comes as a surprise that the United States takes...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Marijuana Legalization Seven Years Later

Where is marijuana legalization taking us? What will be the result of legalization in the years to come for the states that have already legalized? Much of the apprehension over marijuana legalization comes from the fact that we just don’t know what...