As the coronavirus pandemic escalated, public health officials quickly warned that the lockdown and social distancing rules might have a harsh impact on substance abusers unable to receive medications, counseling and other treatment services. Now, we’re starting to see evidence this is happening, with some cities and states, already hard hit by the opioid epidemic, reporting spikes in fatal drug overdoses. Dayton, Ohio, for example, which has made great strides to curb the opioid epidemic, has seen overdoses jump 50 percent over the past year.
Authorities in counties across Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York are also reporting rises in overdoses as isolation and despair trigger relapses in recovery, and make it more difficult for first responders to reach overdose victims, and for addicts to receive withdrawal medications. New federal guidelines are easing that problem—including methadone vans in New York City that make home deliveries—but we must undertake greater efforts to ensure the important gains we have made to stop the opioid crisis are not lost during the pandemic.
And finally, a new study in JAMA Pediatrics sheds new light on why teens are so attracted to vaping products such as Juul. While flavored vapes, which have now been partially banned, are attractive to teens, what’s more important are social factors—in other words, they think vaping is cool. The study, based on teen text messages, found that young people know vaping is addictive and dangerous and could lead to fatal lung ailments, but they still want to be part of the gang. That’s why social anti-vaping messaging, starting in middle school, should focus on social aspects of vaping, the study concluded.