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Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a somber reality for many who faced the disease of addiction within the past year.
The data shows more than 100,000 overdose deaths in a 12-month period nationwide and a 55% increase in overdose deaths in Kentucky.
Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) community liaison Micki Arvin says she lost six friends to fatal overdoses during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to now. She spoke to WLEX-18’s Mike Valente about the grizzly statistic.
“When you isolate a recovering person, it sets them up to get back into old patterns and old ways of thinking,” Arvin told Valente.
Arvin, who has been in recovery herself for over two years, says she will now use these new stats to create more change and help more people.
Learn more about Micki Arvin’s story here.
“It’s very alarming. It’s very sad,” said Arvin. “It also sparks a fire in me to continue to do the work we are doing. I refuse to let the people that have passed away, that I loved, for their deaths to be in vain.”
Matt Brown, ARC’s Vice President of Administration, says while recovery is becoming more and more accessible, the reality is that recent years have shown that the disease of addiction is not going anywhere.
“One of the things I am sure of is there has never been a more deadly time in the history of society for someone to be in addiction,” Brown told WKYT’s Phil Pendelton on Wednesday. “I believe that we know what works. We know that immediate access to individualized treatment works.”
If you or someone you know needs guidance on accessing treatment, Addiction Recovery Care is here to help. Speak to a member of our intake team now by calling 606-289-2979 or visiting arccenters.com.
