Atlanta has been in the midst of an opioid crisis for most of the current century. How has this crisis changed in recent years?
History of Atlanta’s Opioid Crisis
For the majority of the 21st century, the United States has experienced epidemic levels of opioid use, addiction, and death. The Atlanta area has not been spared from this crisis.
The problem originated in the late 1990s, as the use of prescription opioids increased dramatically. According to a February 2009 article in the American Journal of Public Health, the use of OxyContin (which contains the opioid oxycodone) to treat pain unrelated to cancer increased from about 670,000 prescriptions in 1997 to about 6.2 million in 2002.
Though OxyContin sales representatives claimed that the drug posed minimal risk of addiction, the truth was far different. As more people became dependent on prescription painkillers, their cravings drove them to use other opioids as well. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that almost 80% of people who use heroin had previously used prescription opioids.
The impact on Atlanta and nearby cities was highlighted in a March 2023 article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. That article noted that the annual number of opioid-involved overdose deaths in the Atlanta Metro area increased by more than 200% between 2006-2016.
Recent Changes in Atlanta’s Opioid Crisis
As illustrated by the March 2023 article cited above, one stark indicator of how the opioid crisis in Atlanta has changed in recent years is the annual number of people who have died or visited emergency departments after using the drugs.
In Georgia, overdoses involving opioids and certain other substances are tracked by the Drug Surveillance Unit (DSU), which is part of the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH).
The impact of opioids in 2023
The DSU’s most recent report on opioid overdoses throughout the state was published Jan. 29, 2025. That report covered the 2023 calendar year. It did not provide city-specific data, but it did break the statistics down by county.
Here’s what the report said about opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County, which is home to Atlanta:
- In 2023, Fulton County recorded 230 opioid-involved overdose deaths.
- This equated to a rate of 21.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. Well above the statewide rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 residents.
- Opioids were involved in 694 emergency department visits in Fulton County in 2023, for a rate of 64.3 ED visits per 100,000 residents.
- That rate was lower than the statewide average of 67.5 ED visits per 100,000 residents.
Evidence of a worsening crisis
As indicated by the excerpts from previous DSU reports below, Atlanta’s opioid crisis worsened each year between 2019 and 2023.
During that period, the annual number of opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County rose by 177% and the annual amount of ED visits due to opioid use increased by 61.4%.
In 2022 the DSU reported:
- Opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County: 194
- County rate: 18.1 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 18.4 per 100,000
- Opioid-involved ED visits in Fulton County: 665
- County rate: 61.9 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 69.7 per 100,000
The 2021 DSU report included:
- Opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County: 189
- County rate: 17.7 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 16.8 per 100,000
- Opioid-involved ED visits in Fulton County: 591
- County rate: 55.5 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 67.5 per 100,000
In 2020, DSU data included:
- Opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County: 121
- County rate: 11.8 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 12.2 per 100,000
- Opioid-involved ED visits in Fulton County: 534
- County rate: 49.6 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 59.3 per 100,000
In 2019, the unit reported:
- Opioid-involved overdose deaths in Fulton County: 83
- County rate: 7.8 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 9.0 per 100,000
- Opioid-involved ED visits in Fulton County: 430
- County rate: 40.4 per 100,000
- Statewide rate: 49.9 per 100,000
Though Atlanta’s opioid crisis remains a significant public health concern, its county has actually been outperforming the state in many areas.
In all five of the annual reports cited here, Fulton County had lower rates of opioid-involved ED visits than the state as a whole did. The county also had a lower rate of overdose deaths in three of these years, exceeding the statewide rate only in 2021 and 2023.
National Trends in Opioid Use
In addition to comparing opioid data from the Atlanta area to statewide statistics, it can also be valuable to look at how the nation as a whole has been affected.
A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) indicates that national rates of opioid-involved overdose deaths also increased between 2019-2023, though not as dramatically as they did in Fulton County:
- In 2019, there were 49,860 opioid-involved overdose deaths in the U.S..
- In 2023, the nation recorded 79,358 such deaths, which represented an increase of 59.5%.
However, the KFF report suggests that there may be good news ahead for Atlanta’s opioid crisis:
- The 2023 national total represented a decrease of about 3.1% from the prior year, when the annual number of opioid-related deaths peaked at 81,806.
- The national downward trend continued in 2024, with 54,045 deaths accounting for a 31.9% drop from 2023.
Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 2025 saw a 13.9% reduction in all overdose deaths from 2024. Though information on specific substances is not yet available, that suggests a continued reduction in opioid overdose deaths, as opioids are involved in the vast majority of all overdose deaths in the U.S.
If local data aligns with the national trend, that will suggest that the opioid crisis in Atlanta may be starting to subside.
Learn More About Opioid Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
If you have become addicted to any opioid, Valor Behavioral Health is here to help. We also serve clients who have anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.
Treatment options at our addiction rehab in Atlanta, GA, include PHP, IOP, OP, adolescent program, and a virtual program. In each program, you can expect to receive evidence-based clinical services from a team of highly skilled professionals.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
