Heroin Statistics and Trends

Opioid addiction has stood at the center of the American drug addiction crisis since the late 1990s when pharmaceutical companies began aggressively promoting opioid painkillers to doctors and patients. But what is the scope of opioid addiction today?

Research shows winter is the worst season for drug overdoses in states where the temps drop and snow sets in. Cold weather, social isolation, hampered travel, slower emergency response times, and other factors all make this season more dangerous for drug users. All of those factors combined increase the urgency for those who struggle with drug addiction to enter qualified residential drug treatment centers as soon as possible.

There’s much discussion about saving lives from drugs. But what would it take? It’s time to take a good hard look at the steps that would have to be taken to bring about a drug-free nation. The various fronts on which this battle would need to be fought are reviewed and evaluated.

Researchers at the University of New England found that the rate of opioid-related cardiac arrests has risen dramatically and is now on par with the rate of cardiac arrest from other causes. The research sheds light on yet another major health risk connected to opioid addiction, i.e., the risk for suffering a potentially fatal heart complication.