Delray Beach Drug Addiction Expert Cites Isolation of Quarantine as Primary Cause for Drug Overdose Spike

Delray Beach, Florida – With drug overdoses nearly doubling in Palm Beach County from 2019 to 2020, experts at Legacy Healing Center in Delray Beach, Florida, want to sound the alarm when it comes to how Covid-19 impacts drug addiction.

From January through August of 2020, 361 drug overdose deaths were reported, which is nearly a 50% increase from the previous year. David Levin, Clinical Director at Legacy Healing Center, cites the isolation of quarantine and uncertainty of the deadly virus as reasons why drug overdoses continue to rise. While drug overdose deaths showed signs of increasing from year-to-year from January to March of 2020, the spike increased considerably once the pandemic impacted every aspect of society.

“The opposite of addiction, and certainly mental health disorders, is a connection,” Levin said.

Levin added that these additional obstacles faced by people trying to overcome addiction have made it an even more significant challenge than before. Levin said there is no one magic solution to recovery, instead, it requires a comprehensive approach combining medication, therapy, and self-help support groups.

As a result, seeking professional treatment for mental health and substance use disorders remains one of the most important aspects of preventing drug-related deaths. Legacy Healing Center’s holistic approach encompasses many different evidence-based therapies and treatment programs to provide a broad plan to overcome the root causes of drug and alcohol addiction.

Levin offered his perspective on the opioid epidemic while speaking to WPTV NewsChannel 5 in Palm Beach about the recent increase in drug overdose deaths in Palm Beach County. With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on people’s mental health, he said the impact Covid-19 has had on the opioid crisis can no longer be ignored.

Levin concluded, “We have to shed light on what’s going on and the connection between Covid-19, mental illness, and substance abuse disorder.”