According to a newly released report from the Centers for Disease Control, drug overdose deaths increased 30% in the United States from 2019 to 2020. Though this statistic is worrying, it might not shock you if you are already familiar with the issues caused by our nationwide drug epidemic and its increasing severity.
What’s Contributing to the Drug Overdose Crisis?
The drug epidemic has impacted people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Still, some portions of the U.S. population are disproportionately affected – including communities of color like Black, Indigenous and Hispanic people. Unfortunately, many minorities face higher barriers to care when struggling with issues like substance use disorders, including a lack of health insurance.
Unsurprisingly, the CDC report’s authors also found overdose rates increasing proportionately alongside county-level income inequality. Financial hardship contributes to chronic stress and associated health issues like high blood pressure and so-called “deaths of despair” – including drug overdose.
The United States has a far less robust social safety net than most other highly developed countries in the Western world – including a lack of universal health care. Life is exponentially harder for people who are unwilling to visit a health provider for fear it will put them into medical debt. As a result, drug overdoses are prevalent in lower-income communities from coast to coast.
Preventing Accidental Overdoses
Many complex underlying causes contribute to our national drug overdose and addiction crisis, and there is no quick fix for these issues. One way we can end the epidemic is to support evidence-based, medically proven harm reduction and treatments.
Harm reduction is the opposite of judging people with substance abuse problems. It’s an empathetic, human-centered strategy that addresses addiction as a disease, not a moral weakness. Ultimately, the goal of harm reduction is to reduce barriers to seeking needed treatment.
Do You Need Qualified Addiction Help?
One fundamental risk of using drugs is that a worsening addiction makes it difficult and potentially life-threatening to stop without support. Suddenly quitting or tapering off can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, including effects that are more uncomfortable than the reason you started using drugs in the first place, such as seizures, tremors and flu-like body aches.
If you are physically and psychologically dependent on drugs, it’s dangerous to stop using them without medical supervision and controlled addiction detox. In a detox treatment program, you can get the help you need to taper off drugs slowly, safely and comfortably while avoiding a relapse. At Cumberland Heights, clients receive personalized attention and round-the-clock care from our experienced nursing staff. Once your condition is stable, you can immediately move into the next phase of inpatient addiction treatment.
Cumberland Heights’ staff members are living proof that long-term recovery is possible. Many of our clinical team members have a decade or more of experience in caring for substance use and co-occurring disorders. We specialize in providing in evidence-based therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, family systems work, trauma-informed care and 12-step immersion. Contact us today to learn more about what we offer and how we can help you.
