Life is temporary, but ideally, death comes from situations beyond our control and happens after decades of life. In the US, deaths for people under 40 are increasingly from things in our control, particularly overdoses and violence.
“Vehicle accidents and suicide (about 96,000 each) and gun homicide (about 65,000) all took a cumulative toll from 2018 to 2022, according to a Stateline analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Overdose deaths, however, took almost 177,000 lives in that time.” – Stateline
The state-by-state variations are significant.
“Accidental overdose became the No. 1 cause of death in 13 states for people under 40, overtaking suicide in nine states and vehicle accidents in five others; it’s now the top cause in 37 states.” – Stateline
Vehicle accidents are accidents, but suicide is another indication of increased self-harm. The growth rates in overdose deaths are in the double digits, 70% in urban areas and 64% in rural areas.
Death by drug overdose is not new, but it is growing, alarmingly. Various states are taking various approaches, but no one particular approach has been accepted as successful.
Pretending Not To Panic 