The Seattle King County area has seen a dramatic rise in drug related deaths, despite efforts to offer more effective addiction treatment in Washington State. In 2016, 50% of all drug related overdoses in King County occurred in Seattle. Seattle was also responsible for 54% of all opioid deaths in King County.
Among drugs of abuse, heroin appears to be the deadliest substance in King County. Compounding the deadly effects of heroin is that fact that more users are mixing heroin with stimulants such as meth. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, “Heroin deaths have multiplied along with other problem indicators associated with the drug. Moreover, users are combining heroin and methamphetamine with deaths by this combination increasing substantially to 12 percent of the overall drug death total. Preliminary data for the first quarter of 2017 shows that heroin continues to be the leading cause of drug deaths, accounting for 40 of the 89 drug deaths reported (45 percent). Also for the first quarter of 2017, 18 drug-caused deaths were from a combination of methamphetamine and heroin.”
Although prescription drug overdoses have remained fairly constant in the Seattle King County are of Washington State over the last few years, they are still high. In 2016, Half of all overdoses in King County, Washington occurred in Seattle. According to the DEA, “Seattle was distantly followed by the cities of Kent with 13 opioid deaths (6 percent), Auburn with 11 opioid deaths (5 percent), and Federal Way with 10 opioid deaths (4 percent).”
This unsettling trend in drug related overdoses in King County highlight the need for effective addiction treatment in Washington State and surround states. Tree House Recovery PDX, in neighboring Oregon, offers the most effective addiction treatment available today.
Tree House Recovery is a men’s treatment program located in Portland, Oregon. Creating sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men learn how to live sober with adventurous lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474
