In a recent blog post, Stanton Peele, Ph.D. (author of Love and Addiction), looks at all alcohol and drug related deaths in Florida in 2007. According to the post, prescription painkillers Vicodin and OxyContin were responsible for more deaths than all other substances combined. Even tranquilizers, often used in suicide attempts, came in a distant third.
Peele doesn’t mention the source of his data, but seeing as he has been a respected author on the subject of addiction for over 30 years—I am inclined to accept his numbers. If Dr. Peele is correct, as I suspect that he is, the Painkiller Epidemic is further advanced than even I had imagined.
- Update: Peele’s data comes from an analysis of autopsies in 2007 by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission. See this New York Times article for details.
- View other Painkiller Epidemic Updates
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Read the complete post: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com
Stanton Peele, Ph.D: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/authors
Image courtesy Wikimedia / Google Image Search
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June 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm |
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