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What Were the Drug and Alcohol Death Rates in Your State?

Author: Justin Mckibben

A reality that is undeniable in this world is that somewhere on the planet, someone passes away every day. It is completely possible statistically that while you are reading this, someone is taking their last breaths. It is part of the process; the circle of life. Nobody lives forever. Yet, one tragic truth we have today is that so many are dying because of something as insidious as addiction. Right now, somewhere someone is dying from a drug overdose.

In all reality, several people just like you and I will die of a drug overdose, or a related illness or incident, today. As death rates due to opioid overdose death escalate higher than ever before, we find that drugs and alcohol are the most lethal threat facing Americans.

Last year we did an article providing overdose death rates for each state. So with that in mind, we took the time to provide some perspective by giving you the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, as far as an entire year’s worth of statistics for drug and alcohol induced deaths.

What do you think is your states statistic? Where does your state fall on the scale of highest to lowest?

The following information is in regards to 2015, and the population figures for year 2015 are bridged-race estimates of the July 1 resident population, from the Vintage 2015 postcensal series released by NCHS on June 28, 2016.

California

  • Drug deaths- 5,025
  • Alcohol deaths- 5,150
  • Total- 10,175

Florida

  • Drug deaths- 3,377
  • Alcohol deaths- 2,489
  • Total- 5,866

Texas

  • Drug deaths- 2,732
  • Alcohol deaths- 2,073
  • Total- 4,805

New York

  • Drug deaths- 3,009
  • Alcohol deaths- 1,479
  • Total- 4,488

Ohio

  • Drug deaths- 3,418
  • Alcohol deaths- 1,027
  • Total- 4,445

Pennsylvania

  • Drug deaths- 3,376
  • Alcohol deaths- 879
  • Total- 4,255

Michigan

  • Drug deaths- 2,316
  • Alcohol deaths- 985
  • Total- 3,301

Illinois

  • Drug deaths- 1,872
  • Alcohol deaths- 946
  • Total- 2,818

Arizona

  • Drug deaths- 1,351
  • Alcohol deaths- 1,277
  • Total- 2,628

North Carolina

  • Drug deaths- 1,636
  • Alcohol deaths- 915
  • Total- 2,551

Massachusetts

  • Drug deaths- 1,851
  • Alcohol deaths- 633
  • Total- 2,484

Washington

  • Drug deaths- 1,189
  • Alcohol deaths- 1,100
  • Total- 2,289

Tennessee

  • Drug deaths- 1,546
  • Alcohol deaths- 637
  • Total- 2,183

Georgia

  • Drug deaths- 1,370
  • Alcohol deaths- 726
  • Total- 2,096

New Jersey

  • Drug deaths- 1,506
  • Alcohol deaths- 527
  • Total- 2,033

Indiana

  • Drug deaths- 1,310
  • Alcohol deaths- 689
  • Total- 1,999

Kentucky

  • Drug deaths- 1,331
  • Alcohol deaths- 466
  • Total- 1,798

Colorado

  • Drug deaths- 893
  • Alcohol deaths- 857
  • Total- 1,750

Virginia

  • Drug deaths- 1,070
  • Alcohol deaths- 655
  • Total- 1,725

Maryland

  • Drug deaths- 1,320
  • Alcohol deaths- 301
  • Total- 1,621

Missouri

  • Drug deaths- 1,098
  • Alcohol deaths- 512
  • Total- 1,610

Wisconsin

  • Drug deaths- 894
  • Alcohol deaths- 638
  • Total- 1,532

Oregon

  • Drug deaths- 609
  • Alcohol deaths- 896
  • Total- 1,505

Louisiana

  • Drug deaths- 901
  • Alcohol deaths- 388
  • Total- 1,289

South Carolina

  • Drug deaths- 793
  • Alcohol deaths- 495
  • Total- 1,288

Oklahoma

  • Drug deaths- 751
  • Alcohol deaths- 530
  • Total- 1,281

Minnesota

  • Drug deaths- 653
  • Alcohol deaths- 599
  • Total- 1,252

New Mexico

  • Drug deaths- 516
  • Alcohol deaths- 656
  • Total- 1,172

Connecticut

  • Drug deaths- 827
  • Alcohol deaths- 341
  • Total- 1,168

Alabama

  • Drug deaths- 810
  • Alcohol deaths- 316
  • Total- 1,126

Nevada

  • Drug deaths- 629
  • Alcohol deaths- 433
  • Total- 1,062

West Virginia

  • Drug deaths- 750
  • Alcohol deaths-193
  • Total- 943

Utah

  • Drug deaths- 667
  • Alcohol deaths- 266
  • Total- 933

Iowa

  • Drug deaths- 332
  • Alcohol deaths- 344
  • Total- 676

Arkansas

  • Drug deaths- 425
  • Alcohol deaths- 242
  • Total- 667

Kansas

  • Drug deaths- 349
  • Alcohol deaths- 278
  • Total- 627

New Hampshire

  • Drug deaths- 433
  • Alcohol deaths- 173
  • Total- 606

Mississippi

  • Drug deaths- 369
  • Alcohol deaths- 175
  • Total- 544

Maine

  • Drug deaths- 278
  • Alcohol deaths- 194
  • Total- 472

Rhode Island

  • Drug deaths- 318
  • Alcohol deaths- 146
  • Total- 464

Idaho

  • Drug deaths- 224
  • Alcohol deaths- 240
  • Total- 464

Nebraska

  • Drug deaths- 139
  • Alcohol deaths- 199
  • Total- 338

Montana

  • Drug deaths- 152
  • Alcohol deaths- 194
  • Total- 346

Alaska

  • Drug deaths- 127
  • Alcohol deaths- 161
  • Total- 288

Delaware

  • Drug deaths- 208
  • Alcohol deaths- 80
  • Total- 288

Hawaii

  • Drug deaths- 175
  • Alcohol deaths- 95
  • Total- 270

Wyoming

  • Drug deaths- 99
  • Alcohol deaths- 152
  • Total- 251

South Dakota

  • Drug deaths- 72
  • Alcohol deaths- 152
  • Total- 224

District of Columbia

  • Drug deaths- 130
  • Alcohol deaths- 80
  • Total- 210

Vermont

  • Drug deaths- 111
  • Alcohol deaths- 96
  • Total- 207

North Dakota

  • Drug deaths- 65
  • Alcohol deaths- 96
  • Total- 161

The total drug related deaths in America- 55,403

Total alcohol related deaths in America- 33,171

Then the total combined (Drug/Alcohol) deaths in America- 88,574

Analyzing the Data of Deaths

Again, these are the CDC’s statistics from 2015; the most recent comprehensive data they can provide. The year 2016 saw some of the most damaging spikes of overdose rates in some cities. Some reports show 2016 to have the highest rates of drug addiction in the history of America. So if we look at the numbers for 2015, it is truly heartbreaking that in all likelihood well over the 88,574 people who died in 2015 lost their lives in 2016.

Some states have seen a huge jump in drug related death. My home-state of Ohio saw 3,778 in 2014, putting them at 3rd highest rate of drug/alcohol-related deaths. That grew to 4,445 in 2015; an increase of 667 people. California held onto the 1st spot on the top highest with 9,562 in 2014, which shot up to 10,175 in 2015; an increase of 613 people.

Oklahoma actually saw a decline in drug-related deaths,  bringing their total drug/alcohol-related deaths down from 1,348 in 2014 to 1,281 in 2015. But they did see an increase is alcohol-related deaths. Mississippi also saw a slight dip from 548 total to 544.

But while some were more intense shifts than others, besides Oklahoma and Mississippi, drug/alcohol-related deaths increased across the board.

Conclusion

What can we take from this? Well, quite simply, that we need to be aware of the true threat that substance abuse poses to our future. If we can expect based on headlines over the year that 2016 was much worse, we need to ask where we are heading. What is being done to change our direction?

We can also conclude that substance abuse an addiction is not limited to any geographic or demographic. It is a very real epidemic. For more detailed information you can visit the CDC’s site and pull up a variety of statistics.

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is stopping so many people from living out their lives and giving to the world. But true recovery is possible. We have the power to change these statistics. If you or someone you love is struggling, please call toll-free now.

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