Drug overdose deaths hit record highs during the pandemic
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and last updated 2021-04-27 22:32:37-04
Amid the pandemic, San Luis Obispo County drug overdose deaths have hit a record high.
For the past 13 months, the pandemic has prompted stay-at-home orders, closures and less person-to-person interaction. When people don t have the coping skills to tolerate that, they will go towards drugs and other avoidant behaviors, said Coraline Robinson, Balance Treatment Center Program Director.
While some Central Coast treatment centers have avoided closures, some in-person treatment services had to move online. Even people who were active in recovery and doing well and going to meetings and going to programs, when those stopped or those went online, people lost a lot of connection, said Dr. Ken Starr, owner of Kenn Starr MD Wellness Group.