Deaths Related to Prescription Drug Overdoses Continue to Rise in Georgia

There is a misconception with overdoses; drug users are no longer just minorities, delinquents, or people from low-income neighborhoods, specially, when it comes to the new drug trend of abusing prescription drugs. This abuse is leading to overdoses and the overdoses are killing individuals across America.

As a result of an analysis of autopsies performed by the GBI Medical Examiner's Office in which drug overdose was the cause of death or a significant contributing factor in the death, it was found that of the 670 drug overdose deaths in 2009, 584 involved prescription drugs or a combination of prescription and illicit drugs. There were 508 drug overdose deaths in Georgia in 2009 which involved prescription drugs and eighty-six (86) drug overdose deaths involved illicit drugs. Seventy-six (76) deaths are attributed to a combination of both prescription and illicit drugs for calendar year 2009.

These statistics do NOT include autopsies performed by medical examiners in Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Henry, Hall or Rockdale Counties.

Deaths from:                                  2008                                2009
Illicit Drugs only                                95                                    86
RX Only                                        496                                   508
Combination Rx & Illicit                   47                                     76
Total Overdose                              638                                   670 

In 2008, there were 638 drug overdose deaths in Georgia. Of that total, 496 deaths involved prescriptions drugs only, forty-seven (47) involved a combination of prescription and illicit drugs and ninety-five (95) involved illicit drugs only.

For overdose drug deaths in 2009, the drugs found through toxicology tests in the highest numbers were as follows:
Alprazolam: 219
Methadone: 184
Hydrocodone: 141
Oxycodone: 138

Cocaine: 106

For those deaths involving prescription drugs or a combo of Rx and illicit, the numbers per age range for 2009 were as follows:
15 or younger: 4
15 - 24: 45
25 - 34: 125
35 - 44: 182
45 - 54: 221
55 - 64: 80
64 or older: 13

A breakdown by race and sex for 2009 prescription drug overdose death follows:

White decedents - 608
Black - 60
Asian - 2 Females - 294
Males - 376

The manner of death for 2009 prescription drug overdose death follows:

Accident - 595
Suicide - 60
Undetermined - 15
If you or someone you know is abusing prescription drugs please seek treatment. Cove Cove Center for Recovery offers several options to treat addiction to prescription drugs. Approaches to treating addiction to prescription drugs depends on the type of drug being abused. For example addiction to pain relievers are drawn from research on treating addiction to heroin, also an opioid, and include medications such as naltrexone, methadone, and buprenorphine, combined with behavioral counseling.

Treatment of addiction to prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin, is often based on behavioral therapies that have proven effective in treating addiction to cocaine and methamphetamine.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/drug-rehab-Georgia.asp

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com