Almost 50,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the US in 2019. Doctors over prescribing and Americans misuse of opioids has become a serious national health crisis. The CDC estimates that prescription opioid misuse alone costs the US over $78.5 billion dollars a year. This includes costs for healthcare, addiction treatment, lost jobs and productivity, and any legal fees associated. A few scary statistics: Roughly 21 to 29 percent of people who are prescribed opioids for pain management end up misusing them. Between 8 and 12 percent of people subscribed opioids for pain will end up developing an addiction.
The CDC also estimates that 4 to 6 percent of people who end up addicted to prescription opioids will transition to heroin. They also estimate that around a whopping 80 percent of people who use heroin started after abusing prescription pain pills. This graph from the nursing team at CEUfast.com displays a map of counties in the US that have the highest rates of prescription opioids. The top ten are as follows:
Norton City, VA: 311.3
Galax City, VA: 301.3
Martinsville City, VA: 293.5
Owsley, KY: 241.8
Hardin, IL: 206.7
Floyd, KY: 205.3
Walker, AL: 204.8
Franklin City, VA: 204.6
Perry, KY: 203.6
Whitley, KY: 199.6
