Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is highly addictive and extremely deadly. Even the smallest dose of fentanyl can cause death, a reality that has been all too real in Austin the last few years.
The latest substance use disorder statistics and data on overdose deaths paint a very bleak picture in the Texas capital. And it isn’t just opioid users who are being affected by the widespread introduction of fentanyl. Drug dealers are selling a wide variety of illicit drugs that contain varying amounts of fentanyl. No substance is safe from being tainted by fentanyl at this point.
Austin has been hit hard by the fentanyl crisis, but officials and local addiction experts are working harder to curb the problem before it gets worse.
The Fentanyl Affect in Austin
Synthetic opioids were developed as prescription medications to treat patients with severe pain from surgery or a major injury. The issue is when prescription opioids are used in a way that isn’t intended they aren’t blocking pain but are providing a high and a substance use disorder can soon develop.
But that’s not the only reason fentanyl is so dangerous. It’s 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Respiratory depression is a deadly side effect of fentanyl, even for someone who regularly uses opioids.
Unlike other opioids and illicit drugs, fentanyl is easy to mix with other substances and put into fake pills that are sold under the guise of being something else entirely. People take counterfeit pills not knowing they contain fentanyl. Travis County officials have noted that it has even been laced into marijuana.
At one time cocaine and methamphetamine were the biggest concerns in Travis County for drug use, and heroin was the biggest threat when it came to overdosing. Given that fentanyl is being added to those drugs as well, fentanyl is clearly the top issue.
Fentanyl addiction and related deaths have become so bad the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has created a Fentanyl Trends dashboard with regularly updated information on overdose deaths.
What Statistics on Overdose Deaths in Austin Tell Us About the Fentanyl Crisis
Fentanyl’s potency makes it a very deadly substance. A minuscule amount can be a potentially lethal dose. To put it in perspective, only 0.3% of the population have used fentanyl in a given year. And yet, fentanyl causes 45% of overdose deaths in Travis County.
Opioid analgesics have long been a leading cause of overdose deaths, however, fentanyl poisoning has gone to a new level never seen before in Texas and the Austin area. According to the Centers for Disease Control, since 2014 the number has been rising, but in 2022 the percentage of overdose deaths involving fentanyl jumped and has hovered around 45% ever since.
Based on public records of death certificates, the Texas DSHS data shows a significant drop in drug poisoning related deaths for the 12-month period between August 2023 and August 2024. During that time there were 4,416 total drug related deaths, with 1,925 being caused by fentanyl poisoning.
This drop in deaths can largely be attributed to greater distribution of Narcan, a medication that can provide life-saving intervention. Between Travis County and the City of Austin, around 30,000 Narcan kits have been distributed. But five Texans still die every day from fentanyl, far more than imagined possible just five years ago.
When you break it down to the county level, Travis County has far more fentanyl deaths per 100,000 people than any other county in Texas. It wasn’t always this way in Travis County. In 2022 the fentanyl overdose death rate spiked up and stayed there.
Texas Prescription Monitoring Program, Poisoning Charges and More
One way to combat the fentanyl crisis is to keep people from developing an opioid addiction that can lead to fentanyl use. A key contributor to opioid addiction is misuse of prescription medication. The opioid crisis was driven by an overabundance of opioid medications being prescribed.
The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program is a prevention measure to make sure that doesn’t happen in the state. All prescriptions for controlled substances that are Schedule II, II, IV or V are tracking by the state system. Patient prescription history is also monitored and doctors are supposed to check it before prescribing any medication.
Counterfeit pills are another huge concern. A number of people that die from a fentanyl overdose don’t have opioid substance use disorders. They believe they are taking another prescription and instead they have the drowsiness, sedation and respiratory failure that often comes with fentanyl use.
In an effort to prevent these accidental overdoses and save lives, Texas lawmakers have deemed fentanyl overdoses as poisonings, triggering murder charges for anyone who produces or sells the substance.
Travis County and Austin officials have also pushed hard to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis. To really drive the point home about the dangers of fake pills, the state initiated the One Pill Kills educational campaign from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It’s all about making sure everyone is careful about getting pharmaceutical resources from legitimate sources and seeking out counseling for mental health issues.
Getting Help With an Opioid Addiction
The increase in fentanyl use and overdoses aligns with an increase in mental health conditions in Texas and across the U.S. Now more than ever people need support through their substance use disorder that could be amplified by anxiety, depression or trauma.
If you are struggling with opioid substance abuse or have already overdosed, Any Length Retreat can help provide supportive treatment for men of all ages. Contact us to learn more about our retreats and how we help men maintain sobriety at all stages of recovery.
