Drug Addiction Deaths

Tujunga, CA (PRWEB) December 5, 2005

Americans consider driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs thenation’s greatest highway safety problem, according to a 2005 Gallup Poll. According to the poll, 37% of the people surveyed consider driving while alcohol impaired to be the worst problem, yet 60% of those same people admitted they had driven a vehicle while drunk or near-drunk, a number up from 57% in 2000.

“This poll clearly shows impairment and driving to be a major concern, especially during the holidays which is a time of increased drinking and increased driving”, said Joanna Young, national president of Drug Addiction Help Line.

In another alarming report, more people age 40 and older are dying of drug overdoses. This is double the rate recorded in 1990 in a little-noticed trend that dispels the notion of hard-core drug use being primarily a young person’s problem. Overdoses among baby boomers are driving an overall increase so dramatic that soon drug deaths may surpass automobile accidents as a leading cause of non-natural deaths.

Based on state health data, according to calculations on males, the age by which someone was most likely to die from a drug overdose in 1970 was 22; by 1985, it was 32 and today it is 43.

For help with overcoming drug or alcohol addiction go to; www.DrugAddictionHelpLine.com.

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