You hear a lot about this on the news. Deaths attributable to opioids have increased by 292% in the last 15 years. These amounted to 1.68 million person-years of life in 2016 alone–higher than those due to hypertension, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS. During 2016, 20% of young adult (aged 24-35 years) deaths involved opioids.
PositiveTip: There are good medical reasons to use opioids in certain circumstances for short time periods, but using them recreationally in combination with other substances can be deadly.