By Joseph Kertis
This holiday season has been filled with thankfulness. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many of us can gather and celebrate traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, among others. But as we celebrate, it’s hard to ignore the tragedies that keep surfacing, such as the most recent indication that we’re still losing the fight against addiction in America.
We’re set to break 100,000 drug overdose deaths in a calendar year, a new record and tragic milestone. As the problem grows, it seems we’ve all been touched in some way by addiction. Whether it’s a close friend or family member, we each know somebody who has current or past issues with substance abuse. But much like the broader issue of substance abuse in our country, it can seem like an impossible problem to solve.
In 2020, the pandemic worsened America’s drug epidemic dramatically, causing overdose death rates to spike by about 30% over the already inflated totals. This figure broke the record for the most drug overdose deaths ever recorded in the history of our country. We’re now on track to repeat and exceed that nightmare, an achievement no one will be celebrating.
Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12 months ending in April 2021. This represents an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before. So, even though the pandemic is winding down, its impact isn’t.
The holidays may seem like a time to shove all of this to the side and think about more pleasant topics, but that, too, can be difficult. According to Marcel Gemme of Addicted.org, those who already struggle with addiction may find that the holidays bring up negative emotions or additional scrutiny from family members. They may use even more to cope with the negative feelings or to try and hide their drug use. Additionally, most people’s holiday plans involve consuming at least alcohol, which can easily lead to misuse and consequences like accidents or confrontations.
So, despite our best efforts, the holidays are often rife with reminders of addiction. And this year, it’s a larger problem than ever.
But thankfully, many of us now have a chance to do something about the problem and save someone’s life. While this may seem cliché and extreme, lives are saved every day each time someone decides to get help instead of continuing to use drugs or alcohol. Rehabilitation gives them that opportunity, and often, all it takes is someone caring.
This holiday season, give the gift of life. Let’s take this amazing opportunity to see our families and friends and use it to find out how they’re really doing. Take the time to talk to them and get past the surface. Learn how their year went. You may discover that they’ve struggled and need your help. And wouldn’t that be the best gift of all?
Joseph Kertis is an experienced healthcare professional turned journalist. His experience in the field of substance abuse and addiction recovery provides a unique insight into one of our nation’s most challenging epidemics. He utilizes this knowledge in his writing to give an expert viewpoint that spreads awareness through education.
