STATISTICS & TRENDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Study Shows Lockdowns Associated with Binge Drinking

Though lockdowns slow the transmission of COVID-19, they appear to increase the number of people who binge drink.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol and Cancer—Death Rates Now Measured on a State Level

As if it were not clear enough why Americans should not consume alcohol, new study findings indicate that there is a direct connection between alcohol consumption and increased risk for contracting cancer.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol Used as Coping Mechanism for Covid Anxiety

While any type of alcohol consumption carries some risk for harm, consuming alcohol as a coping mechanism for anxiety creates a considerable risk for addiction. No one should use alcohol as a method of “dealing with anxiety.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Exercising Through Recovery

It’s long been thought that physical exercise is a healthy activity for recovering addicts. But what does the science say? As it turns out, there’s a growing body of data that suggests exercise helps recovering addicts stay sober.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Is There a Connection Between Drinking Less and Pain Relief?

One study found that veterans who cut back on their drinking also suffered less pain shortly thereafter. Is there a proven cause and effect relationship behind this? It is possible that relief from chronic pain may be yet another health benefit of quitting...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Does the UN’s World Drug Report Tell Us About Addiction?

Every year, the United Nations issues a report on the state of drug use around the globe. What does this year’s report tell us? It’s predictably grim news.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol Manufacturers Intentionally Target Underage Demographics with Marketing Campaigns

The alcohol industry spends close to $500 million annually on alcohol advertising. Many would not think twice about this. But what about when alcohol advertising encourages teenagers and underage young adults to drink?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Prescriber to Serve a Seven-Year Jail Sentence for Role in Opioid Epidemic

The majority of doctors practice medicine with ethics, morality, and the intention to help. But when doctors do become immoral, people get hurt. This is the story of one such doctor.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Rise of Drugged Driving in America

For decades, the American people have implemented strategies to prevent drunk driving. But more recently, drugged driving, a different but very real threat, has soared. How can we effectively address this new problem?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Animal Tranquilizer Contributes to Fatal Overdoses in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has recently seen a surge in overdose fatalities that involve heroin or fentanyl mixed with an animal tranquilizer called xylazine. Is this drug crisis in Philadelphia a unique case? Or is it common practice to combine drugs to create dangerous...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Current Data on the Addiction Treatment Gap in America

What is the addiction treatment gap? And how can this gap be closed?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Statewide Marijuana Legalization Leads to Harmful Use Patterns Among Young Adults

More young adults are using marijuana after states legalize and the fact that marijuana is quite harmful to people in their late teens and early 20s is a very real problem that’s made worse by continued legalization.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Decriminalization Not a Silver Bullet For Americans

With Oregon being the first state to decriminalize all drugs, it’s time to look at how decriminalization can—or can’t—be done in a way that does NOT increase deaths resulting from drug abuse.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are We Doing Enough to Eliminate Drug Overdose Deaths?

If three Boeing 737 planes crashed every week from 1999 to the present, the entire country would sit up and take notice. Drastic actions would be taken to prevent further crashes. But that’s how many people we’ve lost to overdoses and our efforts seem...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

U.S. States Request $2.2 TRILLION Compensation from Purdue to Address Opioid Harm

Forty-seven U.S. States have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, requesting a total of $2.2 trillion dollars as compensation for Purdue’s contributions to the opioid epidemic. Is this a fair number?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why are Multiple States Suing Drug Companies for $26.4 Billion?

A dozen states are suing a drug manufacturer and three drug distributors for more than $26 billion. Why? So they can restore the lives and mop up the wreckage left by the opioid epidemic.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Stimulant Addiction Now Leading to More Overdose Deaths

Every year in the United States, tens of thousands of Americans die from drug overdoses. While most of those deaths are caused by opioid overdoses, meth and cocaine abuse have led to increasing casualties over the years.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Canada’s Addiction Crisis Mirrors Closest Neighbor

For a review of the opiate addiction crisis, most people instantly think of and look to the United States. But in many ways, Canada, the neighbor to the north, has had an almost identical opioid crisis. What can be learned from it? And what might be done...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Scope of Alcohol Abuse in Ireland

What is the scope of alcohol abuse in the Republic of Ireland? What has led this island nation of just under 5 million people to have one of the highest rates of per capita alcohol misuse in all of Europe?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Hidden Catastrophe That is America’s Drug Overdose Deaths

It’s possible while our attention has been riveted elsewhere, our drug overdose deaths are escalating out of control. This isn’t a problem we can ignore for long. Or at all.