By EMS1 Staff
SALT LAKE CITY — A recent report said that younger Americans who are single or divorced and uneducated are dying from opioids more often than others.
A report from the office of Sen. Mike Lee said 71 percent of opioid deaths in 2015 were single or divorced Americans, according to FOX News.
Only 9 percent of opioid overdose victims in the same year were 25 or older and had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
“Opioid-related deaths are not evenly distributed,” Lee said. “The big takeaway is that there’s a strong social component to our opioid crisis. Opioid addiction seems to have a high rate of correlation to social isolation. Those with a strong family or a good job seem less likely to become victims.”
“The effects of our opioid crisis on families, communities, and workplaces are far-reaching,” the report said. “For the first time since 1993, life expectancy in the United States declined, with one research paper estimating that opioid overdose deaths accounted for 2.5 months of the 4 months’ decline.”