According to data collected by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2014 — 21.5 million Americans battled substance abuse at some point in the year.
The impacts of drug addiction are unbelievable — costing taxpayers over 200 billion dollars a year and resulting in the premature deaths of around 72,000 people from an overdose.
These figures don’t take into account the other costs of drug abuse, such as those affecting the friends and family of those affected, and accidents.
Alcoholism, for example, was reported as being a factor in approximately 12,000 automobile accident deaths, 7,700 homicides, 7,500 fall injuries, 8,000 suicides, and 8,400 non-alcohol poisonings.
Drug abuse is a serious problem in the United States, and the rest of the world — with major implications on the individual level, as well as on society as a whole.
Here, we’ll explore some statistics of drug abuse, how it’s caused, and what can be done to help those you suspect may be at risk of drug abuse.