{"id":20317,"date":"2025-11-23T18:58:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T17:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20317"},"modified":"2025-12-07T18:04:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T17:04:05","slug":"the-data-driven-paradox-of-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/11\/the-data-driven-paradox-of-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"The data-driven paradox of prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Pleasanton<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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by Krish Mangrolia 17.11.2025 – <\/span><\/span>Posted in\u00a0<\/span>Alameda County<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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301 deaths. 301 names, ages, faces removed. 301 families, communities, homes (or home equivalents) emptied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, there were 301 opioid-related overdose deaths in Alameda County.\u00a0Standing alone, that figure isn\u2019t alarming to those of us reading behind \u201csafe\u201d walls on our expensive devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing exposes us to the truth more than cold numbers. This data-driven meta-analysis will show there is far more to concern about the complexities that eventually result in the plague of opioids claiming those 301, and thousands more, lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

The acceleration of the Alameda County crisis<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Those 301 Alameda County lives claimed by opioids in 2023 represent a\u00a060% increase\u00a0<\/em> from 2022.\u00a0Alameda County experienced the worst increase of all Bay Area counties in opioid overdose deaths from 2018-2021;\u00a0Alameda\u2019s rates tripled over this time while neighboring\u00a0<\/span>(Courtesy Alameda County)<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an apparent inequity within the county.\u00a0African-Americans\u2019 fatal overdose rates are\u00a0triple\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0that of the county average, and the homeless comprise\u00a030% of all\u00a0<\/em>overdose deaths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Courtesy Alameda County)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The teen paradox: Less use, more deaths<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The focus is on teens, right? That would make sense.\u00a0After all, teen substance use excluding cannabis is\u00a0DOWN<\/em>, compared to the 20.9% of high school juniors in 2002, the 8% figure of 2022 represents major improvement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this, death rates are not improving.\u00a0In fact, teen overdose deaths\u00a0doubled<\/em>\u00a0in the eight short months between August 2019 and March 2020.\u00a0As of 2022, 22 teens were dying\u00a0WEEKLY<\/em>\u00a0from drug overdose in the United States.\u00a0And overdoses are now the third leading cause of death for the youth, after guns and cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fentanyl changed it all.<\/span><\/p>\n