In a United States where there is the best medical technology in world history and where millions of dollars are spent each year on medical and mental health prevention and care, the last thing you would expect is for life expectancy to decline. Numbers released for 2017 by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as reported by the AP and USA Today show life expectancy in the U.S. decreasing again, down to 78.6 years which is .1 less than 2016. For decades the U.S. life expectancy increased until two years ago.
The nation is in the longest period of a generally declining life expectancy since the late 1910s, when World War I and the worst flu pandemic in modern history combined to kill nearly 1 million Americans. Life expectancy in 1918 was 39.
Aside from that, “we’ve never really seen anything like this,” said Robert Anderson, who oversees CDC death statistics.
But why?
The answer is sad because it is completely preventable. Suicide and drug overdose rates in the U.S. push life expectancy lower. This is horrific.
CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. “These sobering statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable.”
Suicide Rates
The suicide rate is at its highest in 50 years, up 26% among men and 53% among women since 2,000. Last year 47,000 people committed suicide, of a rate of 14 per 100,000 people. Furthermore, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for ages 10-34 and the fourth-leading cause for ages 35-54.
These numbers are worse than alarming. As technology has increased, more Americans have an opportunity to hear the gospel than in any other time in American history. Yet, both Christians and non-Christians are committing suicide at a higher rate than any other time since 1975.
Drug Overdoses
Drug overdoses killed 72,000 Americans last year (with potentially higher numbers for those not reported). The current crisis is opioid use with 68% of drug overdose rates opioid related. Those between ages 25-54 have the highest rate of death by overdose.
This rate has increased on average by 16 percent per year since 2014 and more than tripled since 1999.
“No area of the United States is exempt from this epidemic – we all know a friend, family member or loved one devastated by opioids,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat.
We Collectively Hurt Together.
These numbers represent real people with real problems. We each have friends, family, and neighbors who are turning to long-term drug use or suicide to find a way out. People are looking for a way out of their own reality. Through drug use and in acts of ultimate desperation through suicide, people grope for an answer to their individual problems.
I have sat with families this year in the aftermath of suicide and attended funerals of those who chose to end life in this manner. The hurt and confusion for those who are left are immense. There is no way to describe the levels of pain, anger, and loneliness.
Furthermore, I know of individuals both inside and outside the church who turn to drugs every day as a means of self-medicating their problems. Yet, there is no relief. Their problems only increase as financially they have to support their habits as life unravels around them. Where drug use begins as a means to help them control their feelings and have a sense of calm in an otherwise pressure-filled life, they serve their habit instead.
In both cases, suicide and drug addiction, families and communities bear the burden of hurt, the increased financial burden, and the sense of helplessness.
What Is the Ultimate Problem?
People do not have hope. Life is hard. Pressures increase. They fail to either see or apply the glories of the gospel to life-lived. In the midst of difficult circumstances, they turn to drugs and suicide for a way out.
The government is spending more money than ever on programs to help people, seeking to prevent drug use and to prevent suicide. This is not, however, a government problem.
This is a result of at least two problems.
First and primarily, people fail to see Christ as the ultimate source of hope. Jesus Christ came to give life (John 10:10). He provides grace, comfort, and help for the afflicted (Matt 11:28-29; Rom 5:1-11). Sadly though, there are many in the church and multitudes outside the church who miss this wonderful news.
The second problem is that gateway drugs continue to become increasingly legal. Like Missouri, many states continue to legalize various uses of marijuana. Vaping marijuana and other synthetic drugs are commonplace. This is an area of hotly debated opinions. Many believe that legalizing marijuana will decrease other illegal drug use; however, the current trends do not correlate to this belief.
What can we do?
As followers of Christ, we must begin at home – in our own hearts. We must consider the impact of the gospel on us individually. What are we doing? Have we connected the hope we have in Christ with our own problems. How do we handle conflict? What do we do when we are under pressure? What impact is Christ and the gospel making in our own lives? This is where our work must begin.
While we work on our own relationship with Jesus Christ, we must invite others into the same kind of relationship. We need to look around us to see those with whom we can connect to help them also experience a better life in Jesus Christ. Through evangelism for sure, but we must not miss those in the church who struggle.
Potentially this is where you start. Personally seek out a biblical counselor, trusted friend, or mentor to help you connect the gospel with your own life. Make sure you are attending church where you can hear someone explain the meaning of the Bible with application for your life struggles. Then, become a source of that same kind of help for others around you.
Additionally, we must look around to make a positive difference in our communities. How can you make a difference to those around you. I will follow up with another blog to help consider and explore some of these possibilities in the future.
