USA Today’s 5 things to know: Drugs, alcohol and suicide hit young adults hardest, study finds

Young adults were more likely than any other age group to die from drugs, alcohol and suicide over the past decade, a new study released Thursday finds. Drug-related deaths among people 18 to 34 soared 108% between 2007 and 2017, while alcohol deaths were up 69% and suicides increased 35%, according to the latest federal data by non-profit Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust. The study comes after another report this week found post-Affordable Care Act gains in coverage for treatment of addiction and other health problems has stalled and even eroded in some states. John Auerbach, CEO of the Trust for America’s Health and Massachusetts’ former health secretary, cites “burdensome levels of education debt,” the cost of housing and the challenge of building careers during the “great recession” and the opioid crisis.
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