America is in the Midst of an Epidemic of Overdoses

Nationwide Overdose Numbers Are Up Startlingly; Pointing to a Real Epidemic within the Pandemic

By Dave Marlon

According to the Hazelden-Betty Ford clinic, there has been a steady rise in drug overdoses since the pandemic began in early March. “We saw an 18 percent increase nationwide in overdoses in March, a 29 percent increase in April and a 42 percent increase in May,” said John Engebreth, who runs Minnesota Outpatient Services at Hazelden-Betty Ford.

In Utah, recent data has suggested that overdoses are on the rise, likely fueled by the increase in the availability of the powerful drug Fentanyl. This is something that is being attributed to the disruption of the traditional opiate drug supply lines during the pandemic and the fact that 90% of Fentanyl is made right here in America.

Data from Utah Naloxone has documented a rising number of overdoses. In August, they saw 175 overdose reversals, an increase from 125 they saw in July and 99 in June.

Even more alarming, US News & World Report recently reported that nearly 41% of adults surveyed this past summer “reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition,” as a result of the stress from the pandemic and economic fallout.

Why is this happening?

It’s the well-known secret that America has been suffering through an opioid epidemic for decades, since the late ‘90s. Still, it’s the fact that the pandemic has supercharged stress and anxiety in American society that is making these overdose numbers rise so drastically. Sadly, it’s not surprising. Whether it’s COVID or financial woes or just the yearn for normal human contact, which COVID has made incredibly complicated – there are many stressors on people right now.

Relapsing or turning to drugs in a time of great stress – looking for that escape essentially- is relatable and very human.

The other component to the rise in overdoses is the increase of the availability of Fentanyl nationwide, and the fact that many police departments are reporting finding that Fentanyl has been laced into non-opioid drugs, such as Xanax or even marijuana, MOLLY, ecstasy, and more. Usually, you only find Fentanyl on its own or mixed with heroin or other opioids such as Percocet or Vicodin, an often-deadly cocktail.

What can be done to help? Treatment and education

Detoxing from drugs is just the first step. Typically to treat addiction, you have to treat the underlying mental illness that is driving the habit. That means a comprehensive program that lasts much longer than 30 days.

Throughout my career in addiction services, I’ve seen time and time again that the real hope, the real healing, is done through proper treatment of patients, including the correct mix of medication and counseling, lifestyle services, including diet, exercise, job, and this extends for months and months after detox.

At the moment, the government is doing nearly nothing to help with the treatment of patients. One of the biggest obstacles to treatment is often that an addict can’t afford it, or it’s not covered by insurance. In this instance, a government program similar to Medicaid, or a state-financed program, would be most helpful in terms of actually getting patients into rehab and into a bed. I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve had a willing patient, who desperately was seeking treatment, but by the time they managed to get the funds together, or got approved for Medicaid, they had relapsed, or their bed was gone. In instances like that, we are truly failing our fellow humans.

Educating families in proper ways to treat, care for, and seek treatment for others going through addiction is crucial. Our rehab center CrossRoads of Southern Nevada will be announcing a series of education seminars for families on addiction.

There will always be stress and anxiety and trauma and mental illness, and there will likely always be drugs available in one way or another, whether it’s drugs or alcohol.

Add in the pandemic and economic stress, and we aren’t in a good place. It’s no wonder that we’ve seen an uptick in Nevada’s overdoses, and we’ve seen an uptick in beds filled at CrossRoads since March when the pandemic began.

But, as I write this on September 11, 2020, I’m reminded of the hope that followed that dark day on September 11, 2001. I’m reminded that hope always follows darkness and that the hope of entering recovery, getting a patient back on their feet, and turning their life around is why I got into this business. I’m constantly reminded of the hope there is in recovery every day, and I hope, as we move into 2021, we continue to provide that hope to our patients here at CrossRoads and around the country.