Millennials are the age group most at risk of dying from alcohol, drugs, and suicide, according to two non-profits, Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust. Their analysis of CDC data reveals alarming trends: from 1999 to 2017, opioid-related deaths among millennials surged by 500%, and deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl skyrocketed by 6,000%.
Between 2007 and 2017, alcohol-related deaths among millennials increased by 69%, drug-related deaths jumped by 108%, and suicides rose by 35%. The researchers define millennials as those born between 1981 and 1996.
According to the most recent data from the CDC, adults ages 35-44 had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in both 2021 and 2022. However, suicide rates have recently decreased for everyone 25 and older.
“Millennials faced and continue to face challenges unique to their generation,” Trust for America’s Health noted, highlighting the opioid crisis, skyrocketing education and housing costs, and entering the job market during the Great Recession as significant factors.