The Macro and Micro of the Opioid Crisis: Statistics and Stories

Addiction is a serious and ever-increasing problem, with escalating costs both at the macro (society) level and the micro (personal) level. Statistics on the opioid crisis are shocking. Opioid abuse was declared a nationwide public health emergency in October 2017 after the number of deaths in the U.S. from opioid abuse rose to over 40,000 per year. But statistics only tell us the big picture — the macro view. They depict the magnitude of this drug crisis and its consequences for society.