Some very disturbing numbers were released last week, and they weren’t about COVID-19.

The opioid battle that Butler County and neighboring counties have been fighting for years did not take a break to let us devote all our energies to fighting the virus pandemic.

No, in fact it seems like a foregone conclusion that the fatality numbers for 2020 will exceed 2019. At the end of October, the death toll for overdose victims stood at 58. The total for all of 2019 was 60.

The holidays are, unfortunately, a critical time for people with suicidal thoughts to suffer through. The feelings of depression and loneliness are often accentuated by the contrasting celebrations and excitement of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s.

This is a time to try to extend family and friendship love towards the folks struggling with these emotions.

Suicidal feelings are caused by as many different reasons as there are happy emotions. They can be caused by loneliness, illness, separation, loss of a job, financial hardship, rejection or addiction. Sometimes it is obvious and other times there are no warning signals at all.

But don’t start to think that all or even most overdoses are intentional. They can be by mistake.

All fixes or hits are not equal. Sometimes the user gets a surprise lethal dose that was not expected at all. Many overdoses are not suicides, but rather a combination of mistakes, even if the primary act of taking a drug was voluntary.

Yes, suicide is counted among overdoses as it should be.

What is important is to understand that many of these victims did not want to die. They also did not want to be addicts.

Certainly, some chose to abuse recreational drugs, which led to worse things. Others were prescribed legitimate drugs for pain and became addicted because they did not know there was a possibility that a legal pharmaceutical could ruin their life.

Please be considerate of the victims and families they have left behind. Seek ways to help them cope and to keep them from that final unchangeable mistake.

Remember, the same thing could happen within your own family.

And please, wear your mask.

—RV