Drug overdose deaths among seniors have more than tripled in two decades

CNBC November 30, 2022
Spencer Kimball

Key Points

– Drug overdose deaths more than tripled among people age 65 and older during the past two decades, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

– Deaths from alcohol abuse increased more than 18% from 2019 to 2020 among seniors, according to the data.

– “We’ve got a public health problem coming at our door — these trends have been increasing for a long time now,” said Alexis Kuerbis, an expert on substance use among older adults.

Deaths from drug and alcohol use are rising among America’s seniors.

Drug overdose deaths more than tripled among people age 65 and older during the past two decades while deaths from alcohol abuse increased more than 18% from 2019 to...

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