Surprising Demographic at Risk for Overdosing

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 13, 2014 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs | Comments are off for this article

Reports released throughout the country have some people in shock. Turns out that the demographic that is at most risk for overdosing on drugs or alcohol are men ages 45-64. While it is true that children and teenagers are at risk for drug addiction and overdoses, and women are abusing drugs at a rapid rate, middle-aged men are succumbing to overdoses more than any other group.

A closer look at Orange County, CA coroner records showed that between 2011 and 2012 there were 1,156 overdose deaths. When researchers examined those deaths they found some alarming information. The amount of men dying from overdoses was double that of women. White men, ages 45-64 were the group that passed away the most from drug or alcohol overdoses.

Interestingly, researchers also found that most of the overdose deaths they looked into were accidental. This would indicate that at least some of the deaths could have been avoided had the person been given the proper education regarding dose, what not to mix the drug with and the potency of the drug. After age 44 prescription drug overdoses were the overwhelming majority in overdose deaths.

Not everyone dies when they overdose from drugs or alcohol. The researchers also looked into how many people checked into the hospital for overdoses within Orange County. They found that 10,782 people checked into hospitals in the area, with an average stay of four days, costing around $25,000.00. It is clear from this information that drug abuse and misuse is a growing problem in California and the rest of the country.

While these results are just from one county, it does shed some light on a group of people that may be forgotten about when it comes to anti-drug and anti-alcohol advertising. Most government agencies focus on the prevention of drug abuse among children, pair that with the joint efforts of schools and families and youths have a pretty steady stream of anti-drug, anti-alcohol, anti-abuse attention. Older men however, do not have that steady stream. In fact, adults are pretty much left to fend for themselves.