Alcohol-related deaths also increased during the pandemic, jumping 25% year-on-year in 2020.But death—has Over 140,000 nationwide — has been rising for decades in every state. After adjusting for the state’s changing age distribution, few places have seen a greater increase in alcohol-related deaths than Oregon, where he increased 2.5 times from 1999 to 2020.
Grove’s only son, Jonathon, began drinking heavily in college, but managed to work for years as a pharmacy technician at the Oregon Health and Science University despite his worsening addiction. Cheap beer and white wine were his weaknesses. “He always thought he didn’t drink hard alcohol, so he wasn’t really an alcoholic,” Grove said. He died surrounded by empty cans and empty cans at a cheap hotel.
Various studies in recent years suggest that even moderate drinking poses health risks, including the heart. Drinking is recommended.
Dr. Eric Roth, director of emergency medicine at Kaiser Permanente’s two hospitals in the Portland area, estimates that between 10% and 30% of his patients suffer illnesses and injuries that are at least partially alcohol-related. doing. “This has always been a big problem, and it’s becoming a bigger problem,” he said.
To combat substance abuse, Oregon has focused on education and treatment to address substance use. A ballot measure passed in 2020 decriminalized all drug possession in small amounts and diverted hundreds of millions of dollars in tax dollars from marijuana to recovery services, including alcohol.rethink your drink“
Dr. Tim Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute of Substances Use at the University of Victoria, called the education campaign a “fig leaf,” saying that treatments can help but park ambulances under cliffs rather than fence them off. I said it would be like so people don’t fall. Measures to prevent excessive drinking are less costly and more effective, he said.