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Author: Justin Mckibben
A reality that is undeniable in this world is that somewhere on the planet, someone passes away every day. It is completely possible statistically that while you are reading this, someone is taking their last breaths. It is part of the process; the circle of life. Nobody lives forever. Yet, one tragic truth we have today is that so many are dying because of something as insidious as addiction. Right now, somewhere someone is dying from a drug overdose.
In all reality, several people just like you and I will die of a drug overdose, or a related illness or incident, today. As death rates due to opioid overdose death escalate higher than ever before, we find that drugs and alcohol are the most lethal threat facing Americans.
Last year we did an article providing overdose death rates for each state. So with that in mind, we took the time to provide some perspective by giving you the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, as far as an entire year’s worth of statistics for drug and alcohol induced deaths.
What do you think is your states statistic? Where does your state fall on the scale of highest to lowest?
The following information is in regards to 2015, and the population figures for year 2015 are bridged-race estimates of the July 1 resident population, from the Vintage 2015 postcensal series released by NCHS on June 28, 2016.
California
- Drug deaths- 5,025
- Alcohol deaths- 5,150
- Total- 10,175
Florida
- Drug deaths- 3,377
- Alcohol deaths- 2,489
- Total- 5,866
Texas
- Drug deaths- 2,732
- Alcohol deaths- 2,073
- Total- 4,805
New York
- Drug deaths- 3,009
- Alcohol deaths- 1,479
- Total- 4,488
Ohio
- Drug deaths- 3,418
- Alcohol deaths- 1,027
- Total- 4,445
Pennsylvania
- Drug deaths- 3,376
- Alcohol deaths- 879
- Total- 4,255
Michigan
- Drug deaths- 2,316
- Alcohol deaths- 985
- Total- 3,301
Illinois
- Drug deaths- 1,872
- Alcohol deaths- 946
- Total- 2,818
Arizona
- Drug deaths- 1,351
- Alcohol deaths- 1,277
- Total- 2,628
North Carolina
- Drug deaths- 1,636
- Alcohol deaths- 915
- Total- 2,551
Massachusetts
- Drug deaths- 1,851
- Alcohol deaths- 633
- Total- 2,484
Washington
- Drug deaths- 1,189
- Alcohol deaths- 1,100
- Total- 2,289
Tennessee
- Drug deaths- 1,546
- Alcohol deaths- 637
- Total- 2,183
Georgia
- Drug deaths- 1,370
- Alcohol deaths- 726
- Total- 2,096
New Jersey
- Drug deaths- 1,506
- Alcohol deaths- 527
- Total- 2,033
Indiana
- Drug deaths- 1,310
- Alcohol deaths- 689
- Total- 1,999
Kentucky
- Drug deaths- 1,331
- Alcohol deaths- 466
- Total- 1,798
Colorado
- Drug deaths- 893
- Alcohol deaths- 857
- Total- 1,750
Virginia
- Drug deaths- 1,070
- Alcohol deaths- 655
- Total- 1,725
Maryland
- Drug deaths- 1,320
- Alcohol deaths- 301
- Total- 1,621
Missouri
- Drug deaths- 1,098
- Alcohol deaths- 512
- Total- 1,610
Wisconsin
- Drug deaths- 894
- Alcohol deaths- 638
- Total- 1,532
Oregon
- Drug deaths- 609
- Alcohol deaths- 896
- Total- 1,505
Louisiana
- Drug deaths- 901
- Alcohol deaths- 388
- Total- 1,289
South Carolina
- Drug deaths- 793
- Alcohol deaths- 495
- Total- 1,288
Oklahoma
- Drug deaths- 751
- Alcohol deaths- 530
- Total- 1,281
Minnesota
- Drug deaths- 653
- Alcohol deaths- 599
- Total- 1,252
New Mexico
- Drug deaths- 516
- Alcohol deaths- 656
- Total- 1,172
Connecticut
- Drug deaths- 827
- Alcohol deaths- 341
- Total- 1,168
Alabama
- Drug deaths- 810
- Alcohol deaths- 316
- Total- 1,126
Nevada
- Drug deaths- 629
- Alcohol deaths- 433
- Total- 1,062
West Virginia
- Drug deaths- 750
- Alcohol deaths-193
- Total- 943
Utah
- Drug deaths- 667
- Alcohol deaths- 266
- Total- 933
Iowa
- Drug deaths- 332
- Alcohol deaths- 344
- Total- 676
Arkansas
- Drug deaths- 425
- Alcohol deaths- 242
- Total- 667
Kansas
- Drug deaths- 349
- Alcohol deaths- 278
- Total- 627
New Hampshire
- Drug deaths- 433
- Alcohol deaths- 173
- Total- 606
Mississippi
- Drug deaths- 369
- Alcohol deaths- 175
- Total- 544
Maine
- Drug deaths- 278
- Alcohol deaths- 194
- Total- 472
Rhode Island
- Drug deaths- 318
- Alcohol deaths- 146
- Total- 464
Idaho
- Drug deaths- 224
- Alcohol deaths- 240
- Total- 464
Nebraska
- Drug deaths- 139
- Alcohol deaths- 199
- Total- 338
Montana
- Drug deaths- 152
- Alcohol deaths- 194
- Total- 346
Alaska
- Drug deaths- 127
- Alcohol deaths- 161
- Total- 288
Delaware
- Drug deaths- 208
- Alcohol deaths- 80
- Total- 288
Hawaii
- Drug deaths- 175
- Alcohol deaths- 95
- Total- 270
Wyoming
- Drug deaths- 99
- Alcohol deaths- 152
- Total- 251
South Dakota
- Drug deaths- 72
- Alcohol deaths- 152
- Total- 224
District of Columbia
- Drug deaths- 130
- Alcohol deaths- 80
- Total- 210
Vermont
- Drug deaths- 111
- Alcohol deaths- 96
- Total- 207
North Dakota
- Drug deaths- 65
- Alcohol deaths- 96
- Total- 161
The total drug related deaths in America- 55,403
Total alcohol related deaths in America- 33,171
Then the total combined (Drug/Alcohol) deaths in America- 88,574
Analyzing the Data of Deaths
Again, these are the CDC’s statistics from 2015; the most recent comprehensive data they can provide. The year 2016 saw some of the most damaging spikes of overdose rates in some cities. Some reports show 2016 to have the highest rates of drug addiction in the history of America. So if we look at the numbers for 2015, it is truly heartbreaking that in all likelihood well over the 88,574 people who died in 2015 lost their lives in 2016.
Some states have seen a huge jump in drug related death. My home-state of Ohio saw 3,778 in 2014, putting them at 3rd highest rate of drug/alcohol-related deaths. That grew to 4,445 in 2015; an increase of 667 people. California held onto the 1st spot on the top highest with 9,562 in 2014, which shot up to 10,175 in 2015; an increase of 613 people.
Oklahoma actually saw a decline in drug-related deaths, bringing their total drug/alcohol-related deaths down from 1,348 in 2014 to 1,281 in 2015. But they did see an increase is alcohol-related deaths. Mississippi also saw a slight dip from 548 total to 544.
But while some were more intense shifts than others, besides Oklahoma and Mississippi, drug/alcohol-related deaths increased across the board.
Conclusion
What can we take from this? Well, quite simply, that we need to be aware of the true threat that substance abuse poses to our future. If we can expect based on headlines over the year that 2016 was much worse, we need to ask where we are heading. What is being done to change our direction?
We can also conclude that substance abuse an addiction is not limited to any geographic or demographic. It is a very real epidemic. For more detailed information you can visit the CDC’s site and pull up a variety of statistics.