Beyond the Statistics: Understanding the Emotional Roots of Drug Overdose
In May 2023, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S. declared 109,680 overdose deaths from 2022, slightly higher than in 2021. The incidence of deaths among those ages 10-19 years increased over 100% from the two years prior to the 2022 report.
But our brains and hearts detach from such overwhelming statistics. Let’s re-frame these numbers: During the entire Vietnam War, 58,000 U.S. soldiers died.
Drugs are killing FAR more people each year than the Vietnam war did in 20 years. Drugs are killing people in this country at roughly the rate of military deaths in World War Two. Astonishing.
The CDC also states that “For every drug overdose
that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
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