A January 2023 report published in a La Crosse, Wisconsin newspaper highlighted local law enforcement’s concern that a string of recent fatal drug overdoses in the city may have been linked to opioids laced with xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer that can make the user’s overdose resistant to naloxone (the medication used by responders to revive OD-ing addicts). This report ties in with other reports from local newspapers across the country, plus several broader, nationwide federal warnings that seek to inform Americans of growing risk factors connected to ANY opioid misuse.

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People often think of drug addiction as primarily a problem for adults, especially adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. However, three recently published studies highlight how the addiction epidemic is expanding to include age demographics that previously did not struggle with drug addiction as much, particularly teens and seniors. This article shows how all Americans are at risk for drug addiction, regardless of age.

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A 30-year law enforcement veteran from Newtown, Ohio, Police Chief Tom Synan has stepped up and launched the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, a partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The coalition’s goal is to shift the addiction response off of law enforcement departments and instead utilize law enforcement officers’ first interaction with drug users to connect those individuals with treatment services via community engagement. Law enforcement officers contribute by connecting addicts with community agencies that can place the addicts in treatment facilities.

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While many factors influence American life expectancy, some causes of death (and the ever-changing upticks and downward-trends surrounding such deaths) are considered more of an influence than others. For example, fatal accidental injuries spiked in the last two years. When broken down into subcategories, it’s evident that drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury-related death in America.

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Several major pharma litigations are currently making their way through U.S. courts. One such case just came to a close, unfortunately releasing several pharma giants from all legal liability regarding their role in the devastating opioid epidemic.

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The United States just passed a grim milestone, the first time in recorded history when over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in one year. It’s a painful wake-up call, and a call to action that something must be done about the drug addiction epidemic.

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Words and terms like “epidemic,” “pandemic,” and “national health emergency” have become commonplace in American society. These terms often make one think of the dangerous spread of communicable diseases and illnesses. Yet with almost 200,000 deaths in 2020 from drug-related causes and alcohol-related causes, is it time to look at addiction as America’s next National Epidemic?

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We know that families suffer terrible losses as a result of drug or alcohol abuse and addiction. But how does this situation affect our nation's health as a whole? We will catalog some of the impacts of this social problem.

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Truly understanding our losses to drug overdoses means taking a longer look at the numbers. That’s where the tragedy becomes crystal clear, along with the necessity to take more immediate action.

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From the outside looking in, it always seems that a person addicted to drugs is rarely just struggling with ONE problem. We get the feeling that there are other drug problems, health problems, destructive behavioral issues, negative life patterns, poor health choices, etc. In confirmation of such views, a new study brings fact-based evidence to the table and shows us that, with meth addiction at least, meth is seldom the only problem the individual is struggling with.

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