Alarming Spike in Veteran Opioid Overdose Deaths.

Veterans aren’t invincible.

Hollywood does a fantastic job of making military members seem invincible. But the fact is they’re flesh and blood like the rest of us, and when troops are injured in the line of duty they’re often left with chronic pain. Treatment options may require prescription medication for long-term pain management, but unfortunately these meds tend to be highly addictive opioids.

As noted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, prescription opioid use has been linked to increased risk of dangerous non-prescription opioid drugs such as heroine. Sadly, this comes as no surprise to anyone. More alarming is just how dramatically the death rate has spiked due to overdoses of both prescription and illegal opioids by veteran patients.

In a recent article for the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, doctors from Veterans Affairs and the University of Michigan revealed the results of a study spanning from 2010 to 2016. Over that period, veteran overdoses surged 65% due to heroin and synthetic opioid abuse. How is such a shattering increase possible?

Surviving combat, veterans face new dangers at home.

Most veterans who survived dangerous combat zone deployments or who suffer from chronic medical conditions, simply fail to recognize the dangers posed by drugs prescribed by their own doctors. Without proper education of the risks, they may take dosages which are too high, may build up a tolerance, and wind up seeking out stronger drugs when their prescribed ones no longer do the job or the prescription runs out.

As a result, opioid overdoses raised from 14.47 to 21.08 for every 100,000 vets. Meanwhile the deaths attributed to heroin abuse quintupled and from fentanyl and other synthetics multiplied five times over! As Dr. Allison Lin, one of the researchers of the study, noted, “These data show it’s important to refocus on those with a current risk of overdose from illicit opioids, including very potent synthetic drugs.”

Too many vets have had to die needlessly for society to take notice.

Military service members are men and women who volunteered to serve our country and deploy to hazardous parts of the world for months at a time, as part of their daily jobs. Veterans are not invincible. They’re as susceptible to substance abuse and addiction as anyone else. Unfortunately, too many have had to die needlessly before this fact was finally noticed.

If you or someone you care about, has an ongoing history of substance use and/or relapse, contact us at Gulf Breeze Recovery or call: 833.551.2356 to speak to an addiction expert to learn more about our program that has helped so many people overcome their addiction and embrace life.

We help people not just to survive, but to THRIVE!