Almost one in 10 residents in Greater Cincinnati reported they know someone who has relapsed into addiction or suffered a drug overdose during the height of the pandemic last year, a new study suggests.
Those findings come as national data shows overdoses rising in 2020 after a decline in 2019.
The study by Greater Cincinnati's Interact for Health asked 879 adults in Greater Cincinnati between October and November last year about the impact of the pandemic on multiple aspects of their lives, including on those they may know struggling with addiction. That study found that 8% of respondents knew someone who had relapsed or overdosed during the global health crisis.
Addiction treatment professionals say there are myriad reasons why the pandemic exacerbated drug use issues, from increased isolation brought on by social distancing to fears around accessing medical care.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to talk about the connections between the pandemic and addiction are Opioid Team Evaluation Officer Michelle Lydenberg and Development Director Christine Birhanzl.
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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