Survey: Prescription Painkiller Abuse Hits Home for Many

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 | 0

Fifty-six percent of Americans have a personal connection to the impact of prescription painkiller abuse, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The group includes 16% who said they know someone who has died from a painkiller overdose and 9% for whom the victim was a close friend or family member.

Six percent said they had taken a painkiller that had been prescribed to someone else, and 2% said they had become addicted to prescription painkillers. Fifteen percent said a family member had become addicted to painkillers, 10% said a close friend had become addicted, and 12% said an acquaintance had become addicted.

Kaiser conducted its survey of 1,352 adults from Nov. 10 to 17. Kaiser Health News, an independent program of the Kaiser Foundation, reported the results.

Half of those surveyed said prescription painkiller and heroin abuse should be a top government priority, KHN said.