In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies assured the medical community that opioid pain relievers posed little risk of addiction, prompting healthcare providers to prescribe them more frequently. This increase in opioid prescriptions led to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids, only for it to later become evident that these drugs are, in fact, highly addictive.
By 2017, the severity of the crisis prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare a public health emergency and implement a 5-Point Strategy aimed at combating the opioid epidemic.
Daily Impact: Over 130 people die every day from opioid-related overdoses.
Annual Death Toll (2017):
47,600 deaths linked to opioid overdoses.
28,466 deaths due to synthetic opioids (excluding methadone).
15,482 deaths attributed to heroin overdoses.
Prescription Opioid Misuse:
11.4 million people misused prescription opioids.
2 million people misused prescription opioids for the first time.
Opioid Use Disorder: 2.1 million individuals struggle with opioid use disorder.
Heroin Use:
886,000 people used heroin.
81,000 people tried heroin for the first time.
Efforts to combat the opioid epidemic must focus on education, prevention, and expanded access to treatment.
Understanding the Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis has caused widespread devastation, leading to a sharp rise in opioid misuse, overdoses, and severe health impacts like neonatal abstinence syndrome, where newborns experience withdrawal due to opioid use during pregnancy.
Opioid Overdose
In 2016, opioid overdoses claimed more than 42,000 lives—the highest number ever recorded at the time. Alarmingly, prescription opioids were involved in an estimated 40% of these fatalities.
Why Do Adults Misuse Prescription Drugs?
Insights from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health can guide policymakers in addressing substance abuse prevention and treatment needs within their communities, helping to combat the root causes of prescription drug misuse.
The U.S. opioid epidemic is a critical public health crisis fueled by widespread misuse of prescription opioids and underestimation of their addictive potential. With thousands of lives lost and millions affected, efforts must focus on education, prevention, treatment access, and data-driven policymaking to save lives and build healthier communities.
