Another Shocking Statistic about the Opioid Epidemic

March 31, 2017

(Vox) – While much of the reporting on the opioid crisis has (rightly) focused on the anguish of addiction and overdose, this statistic conveys the kind of secondary effects that these types of epidemics can have. It’s not just that a lot of people are dying; it’s also that these deaths disrupt every aspect of people’s lives, leaving children stranded with no parents, forcing grandparents or other family members to take care of the kids, and demanding that public services pick up the slack where family can’t.