Skip to main content

Four in 10 U.S. Adults Say They Know Someone Who Died From Drug Overdose

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 28, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28, 2024 -- More than four in 10 U.S. adults personally know at least one person who died by drug overdose, according to an editorial published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Alison Athey, Ph.D., from the RAND Corporation in Washington, D.C., and colleagues added questions to wave 14 of the RAND American Life Panel survey to explore the prevalence of overdose loss and the experiences of those left behind by fatal drug overdoses. The analysis included 2,072 respondents in February and March 2023.

The researchers found that 42.4 percent of respondents reported personally knowing at least one person who died by overdose. An estimated 125 million American adults have experienced overdose loss. Among U.S. adults who reported ever knowing someone who died by overdose, the mean number of overdose losses was 2.88. Lifetime exposure to an overdose death was more common among women, married participants, U.S.-born participants, and those who lived in urban settings. Of those reporting lifetime exposure to overdose loss, approximately one in three reported that the experience disrupted their lives, translating to disruption for approximately 40 million American adults (13 percent of the U.S. adult population).

"The experiences and needs of millions of overdose loss survivors have been largely overlooked in the clinical and public health response to the overdose crisis," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted February 2024

Read this next

People With Opioid Use Disorder Less Likely to Receive Palliative Care

MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are less likely to receive palliative care during the last 90 days before death, according to a study published...

Pediatric Prescription-Opioid Overdose Visits to ED Increased in 2020

THURSDAY, April 18, 2024 -- There was a substantial increase in pediatric prescription-opioid overdose emergency department visits from 2019 to 2020 in the United States...

Midlife Deaths of Despair Increased From 1999 to 2022

THURSDAY, April 11, 2024 -- Midlife deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholic liver disease, collectively known as deaths of despair, increased from 1999 through 2022...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.