Children of the Opioid Epidemic
In 2018, over 168 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers were filled in the United States. That’s enough dangerously addictive medication for half the U.S. population. Along the way, the opioid crisis has already destroyed an untold number of lives, including those of children who were born addicted, abandoned by their parents, or both.
A staggering 2019 report estimates that 2.2 million children and adolescents had a parent with opioid use disorder (OUD) or had OUD themselves. If these trends continue, an estimated 4.3 million children will have had OUD – or a parent with OUD – by 2030. In this newsletter you will learn about:
- Children born with opioid-addicted parents.
- Children suffering from opioid withdrawal at birth.
- How to fight for a future free from the opioid crisis.
