There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded.

There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded.

An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023.

The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency’s National Center for Health Statistics.

    • floo@retrolemmy.comEnglish
      3·
      5 hours ago

      After spending 2 1/2 years locked in my apartment, I’m shocked that I didn’t overdose. What are you even talking about?

      • MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com
        1·
        9 minutes ago

        Not sure if this is a joke, but I’m sorry if you’re legitimately struggling with this.

        I was figuring job loss leading to less income, plus stay at home orders leading to less ability to meet/congregate with people supplying/using, plus change in supply lines possibly leading to difficulties acquiring or at least a rise in prices. That plus a decrease in possible other stressors, time for introspection, and time to get and stay clean without concern for other priorities seemed to make it a good time to try to quit. I’m not really involved in that so I don’t know though. Just speculation. I know people who quit smoking and drinking, but that’s obviously very different. That was mostly because they didn’t smoke/drink alone so they were able to go a bit without and decided to keep it that way.

    • phdepressed@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      7 hours ago

      I wonder if this is just a matter of people not getting into the drugs at all because of lacking social connections. So not transitioning into addicts and overdose or something about narcan availability.