Drug Overdose: America’s Deadliest Problem

Drug abuse is one of the most morbid public health problems plaguing the United States. Most of the times, drug abuse tends to alter a person’s thinking and judgment, giving rise to other health complications such as addiction, drugged driving and infectious diseases. Many a times, these drugs can harm unborn babies and complicate pregnancy-related issues.

There is substantial scientific credence connecting drug abuse to specific negative effects. It is a menace which can besiege any individual at any age. Even renowned personalities are not left untouched by the menace of drug abuse. This fact comes to the fore through President Barack Obama’s confession regarding illegal drug use in his youth. “I did stuff, and I’ve been very honest about it,” he admitted recently during a panel discussion on substance abuse buy research chemicals .

Drug overdose contributed to an increase in the death rate in the country to a new high in 2014. It was responsible for the death of over 50,000 people, more than those killed in auto accidents, says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC revealed certain facts related to drug abuse and its overdose:

Most of the deaths resulted from heroin overdose or prescription narcotic painkillers like OxyContin. These drugs accounted for 28,647 deaths in 2014, which is 61 percent of the drug overdose deaths.

Nobody is immune when it comes to drug abuse and overdose. Men and women of all races and ethnic groups comprising all age groups were affected by drug overdoses. The increase in national death figures were predominantly from 14 states, including Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania Ohio and Virginia.

The five states with the highest rate of drug overdose deaths are West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio.
Some most commonly abused drugs

If you contact any drug rehabilitation program helpline, you will discover that there are some commonly abused drugs. These include:

Cocaine: It is a highly prevalent abused drug. In 2008, 15 Americans tried cocaine and almost 6 percent tried it during senior year in high school.

DMT: It is a synthetic drug which propels the user to intense but short-lived hallucinogenic experiences. It is also linked to psychotic-like episodes that can occur long after a person has taken the drug.

Heroin: It is made from morphine, a natural extract of the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Although heroin abuse is rather low, there has been a steady rise in the number of people getting addicted to it since 2007. This trend may be due to the fact that heroin is more readily available than prescription pain relievers and is a cheaper alternative. Moreover, there is a misconception that pure heroin is safer than its impure forms.

Marijuana: The world is divided on marijuana. Even the U.S. population is almost equally divided as those favoring and opposing its legalization. Marijuana affects short-term memory, judgment, distorting perception and can impair performance in school or at work. It is dangerous to drive an automobile under its influence.

Some other commonly abused drugs are MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly), Methamphetamine, Mescaline (Peyote), Steroids (Anabolic), Synthetic Cannabinoids (“K2″/”Spice”), Ketamine etc.

If you or a loved one needs treatment for drug abuse, contact a rehab center in your locality.

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