Kids like me are kids and adults of all ages whose parents are, or were, drug addicts and alcoholics, kids who have suffered, or who are suffering, abuse and neglect (trauma) on multiple levels, and kids who are victims of bullying.

Take a look at this alarming information published by ABC News only four months ago. What happened to the children of the thousands of addicts (kids like me) who have died from drug overdose?

History of Heroin in America, Part-1:

Ten deaths in 26 hours amid growing overdose epidemic in Ohio, 6/6/19.

Last month, the office issued an alert saying six-county residents had died from overdoses in less than 24 hours. That news came just weeks after the office announced that nine people had suffered fatal overdoses in a two-day period in July.

Ohio has been one of the hardest-hit states by the nation’s growing opioid and fentanyl epidemics.

The state saw an increase of more than 500-fentanyl encounters (police samples testing positive for the drug) from 2014 to 2015, the latest data available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only three other states, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, saw similar increases.

In its statement on Sunday, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office said residents with family or friends that might be at risk for overdoses should have Naloxone, the emergency overdose reversal drug, on hand as a precaution.

In addition, the office urged at-risk residents to purchase fentanyl testing strips to look for fentanyl in substances before using them.

“I urge friends and family of those who use to make sure you are armed with Naloxone,” the statement said. “Those who use should also test before using with fentanyl testing strips.” ~Karma Allen, ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/gma/10-deaths-26-hours-amid-growing-overdose-epidemic-024846377--abc-news-topstories.html

Minneapolis sees at least 65 overdoses, 1 fatal, in just 9 days, police say:

Between 2010-2014, drug overdoses killed 212,208 people

The most frequently mentioned drugs in those deaths were opioids, benzodiazepines and stimulants.

Between 2012-2014, the illicit drug heroin was responsible for the most overdose deaths.

In the two-years before, between 2010-2011, prescription opioid oxycodone was responsible for the most overdose deaths

The number of drug overdose deaths that involved heroin more than tripled from 2010-2014

Cocaine ranked 2^nd or 3^rd among drugs involved in overdose deaths between 2010-2014

The only drug which did not cause more deaths in 2014 than the year before was methadone

The number of drug overdose deaths increased by 23% between 2010-2014

As Drug Overdose Deaths Escalate, Opioids Continue to Be the Top Killer

Minneapolis sounded the alarm on the city’s addiction crisis on Thursday, revealing that officers had recently responded to as many as 15 overdoses in a single day, an apparent product of the country’s ongoing opioid epidemic.

Officials with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) said officers responded to 65-overdose cases in the previous nine days leading up to Wednesday, with the majority of cases occurring in and around the city’s East Phillips neighborhood.

The department said 15 of the cases, including a suspected fatal heroin overdose, came on Sunday. More than half of those calls came within a nine-hour time frame, as cities across the nation face epidemic levels of heroin, synthetic opioid and prescription pill addictions.

As a result, MPD said it’s boosting coordination efforts and deploying extra resources to known problem areas. Its homicide unit recently added an overdose coordinator position to review the fast-growing number of incoming cases, police said.

“The MPD has increased patrols in high overdose areas and continues our ongoing partnership with the City of Minneapolis Health Department and the State of MN Health Department in raising awareness to drug overdoses,” the department said.

Minneapolis is one of many cities battling to keep up as the country struggles with a terrifying number of deadly accidental overdoses.

The odds of dying accidentally from an opioid overdose rose to one-in-96 earlier this year, meaning Americans are more likely to die of an overdose than a car crash, according to an analysis from the National Safety Council.

The odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash are one-in-103.

Like many cities, Minneapolis said its officers are equipped with Narcan, the emergency overdose reversal drug. The department said officers administered the life-saving drug “when applicable.”

“MPD is in constant communication with surrounding agencies regarding overdose trends and patterns in an effort to provide timely information to the public,” the department said.

In light of the “large increase in overdoses in a short period of time,” the department took a moment to remind residents of ‘Steve’s Law,’ the state’s ‘Good Samaritan Law.’

The law protects people from being charged or prosecuted if they act in good faith while seeking medical treatment for another person experiencing a drug-related overdose. ~Karma Allen, ABC News. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/minneapolis-sees-65-overdoses-fatal-days-police/story?id=63543727

Part 2 next week:

Remember, Jesus loves you and JESUS IS LORD!