American overdose deaths reached new highs last year, according to the CDC.
Preliminary data shows more than 107,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2021, a 15% increase from a record-setting year in 2020.
Those numbers reflect what Michael Ogden, CEO at Recovery Centers of America Monroeville, is seeing at the local level.
"For me, it's very scary. One of the bigger things that we've been seeing is that the average age of adults seeking treatment is increasing."
Though, we're generally pandemic-restriction free, Ogden says increased isolation is still creeping into older generations - in some cases leading to substance abuse.
Ogden also said they're seeing more overdoses involving fentanyl.
"People will often tell us that they use heroin, oxycontin or some other form of opioid. When we reveal it to them during their test that they have been using fentanyl, many of them are taking back in surprise."
Overdoses involving fentanyl increased by 23% last year.
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