Dayton Drug Data Reveals Disturbing Trends in Montgomery County

The drug epidemic has reached new heights in Montgomery County, with 566 life sacrificed to drug overdoses in 2017, according to a recent report by Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County.

In particular, young adults aged 30 years and younger are the victims of such deaths, and with so many more years that could have been ahead of them, drugs are robbing these young people of long, fruitful lives.

In Montgomery County, the death rate in the older generation over the age of 65 years is actually decreasing, while the death rate for those well under that age limit has dramatically increased, largely as a result of drug overdoses. This gap in death rates is closing, and something needs to be done about it.

Considering the thousands of years that drugs have cost young people in overdose deaths, the need to address the underlying causes of drug use disorder becomes a crucial one.

In particular, it appears that Dayton is the main contributor to these startling and devastating numbers, with nearly half of all overdose deaths in 2017 coming from this city out of all others in the county. And so far this year, Dayton’s overdose deaths are following the exact same trend, with almost half of such deaths in all of Montgomery County taking place in this city.

While Montgomery County is certainly facing its own epidemic, the entire state of Ohio is being ravaged by drug overdose deaths. In fact, the state’s drug overdose deaths spiked 39percent between mid-2016 and mid-2017, according to federal substance abuse resources in Dayton. That is the third-largest increase among all states in the nation, trailing only Pennsylvania and Florida. The increase in drug deaths in Ohio was almost three times the 14.4 percent increase in drug overdose deaths nationally.

Ohio is in the midst of a serious opioid crisis which is contributing largely to such overdoses. Over the first half of 2017, more than 5,200 overdose deaths in Ohio were recorded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What Factors Are Contributing to These Dire Stats?

Several factors are contributing to the ravaging drug crisis across Dayton and the entire state of Ohio:

Economic factors. Employment conditions have been shown to have a strong association with the increase in drug overdose deaths, particularly in the case of opioids.  Counties that are struggling economically are more likely to have higher drug overdose rates. Counties with a higher rate of poverty are also linked to higher rates of drug overdose deaths.

Educational factors. Addiction and drug overdose deaths can afflict any demographic, but it appears as though there is a relationship between the level of education and the likelihood of using and becoming addicted to drugs. In fact, Ohio residents with only a high school degree or less are 4.5 times more likely to die from a drug overdose than those with some level of college education, and 14 times more likely to overdose compared to those with a bachelor’s degree, according to substance abuse resources in Dayton. Such associations are attributed to more disadvantages at work, in health, and in marital relationships.

Health factors. Health plays a huge role in the addiction to drugs, particularly pain-alleviating prescription drugs such as opioids. It has long been thought that over-prescribing opioid pain medication has been a key contributor to the opioid epidemic in Ohio and across the country as a whole. A positive relationship has been suggested between the two, and counties with a higher opioid prescription rate per capita experience higher opioid overdose deaths.

As more and more people are prescribed opioids, an increasing number of people become addicted to the pain alleviation experienced. Many of these opioid users may even start turning to opioid alternatives such as fentanyl and heroin, which have been key corresponding factors to the opioid crisis. With the increased availability of such illicit drugs, the epidemic is reaching new heights.

What is the solution to this deadly opioid crisis that Montgomery County and the entire state of Ohio is facing these days? That can be a tough one to answer, but several different groups have already banded together in an effort to combat this issue head-on. Obviously, the best route to take is prevention instead of treatment. But with so many people already hooked on drugs and many more on the verge of becoming addicted due to the accessibility of powerful narcotics, easily accessible treatment from Ohio drug rehab is key.

Ohio Drug Rehab is Crucial to Reducing Overdose-Related Deaths

People get hooked on drugs for many reasons, whether it is to numb the pain of a traumatic past or simply because they gave into peer pressure. Whatever the reason, addiction to drugs can happen shortly after that first hit. Once a person is hooked, the drug can have a powerful grip and turn anyone into an addict.

If you or any of your loved ones are walking that dangerous line of drug use, now is the time to get help. Quitting on your own can be extremely difficult and even dangerous. The withdrawal symptoms can often be too much for a person to handle and are often what sends an addict back to their old ways in an effort to alleviate the side effects associated with going “cold turkey.”

What you need is professional help in an Ohio drug rehab facility that can offer you a medically supervised environment to help you safely detox. Once the drugs have safely exited the system, counseling sessions can take place on a regular basis which can teach you how to lead a life without the need for drugs to get you through each day.

With the assistance of professional therapists and counselors in Ohio drug rehab, you can finally take back the life you led before drugs took over and avoid being part of the frightening stats that are characterizing the drug overdose scene in Montgomery County and Ohio.

Drug addiction is too much for you to handle on your own; contact us to find out how we can help.