Death Rates Rising for Middle Aged White Americans

A large academic study has concluded that over the last 15 to 17 years, the rate of middle aged American men falling into despair (as evidenced by premature deaths) has increasing significantly. One article put it this way:

"The rise in death rates among middle-aged white Americans means half a million more people have died in the US since 1998 than if the previous trend had continued."

There is so much significance here for the church that I won't even attempt to summarize. I take it as a wake-up call to be clear in our expectations, foundation and priorities. What truth, hope and love do we have to embody and communicate to these men? To what extent are we entering into that unshakable reality versus clinging to our own sand castles that these societal tidal waves haven't quite reached yet?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/health/death-rates-rising-for-middle-aged-white-americans-study-finds.html?_r=0

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/nov/02/death-rate-middle-aged-white-americans-aids

Here is the actual study document. There is a graph that shows poisonings as the most increased cause of death, followed by liver failure and suicide:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/10/29/1518393112.full.pdf?with-ds=yes

According to CBS : "Nearly 10 percent of Americans aged 12 and older were illicit drug users in 2013, and almost 20 million said they used marijuana,"

"Alcohol Use in the United States:
Prevalence of Drinking: In 2013, 86.8 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 70.7 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 56.4 percent reported that they drank in the past month.1

Prevalence of Binge Drinking and Heavy Drinking: In 2013, 24.6 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month; 6.8 percent reported that they engaged in heavy drinking in the past month.2"

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

No telling what the pornography rates are.

We have such an intoxicated society, I have no idea how we keep functioning as a society.

And you could add over dosing with legal medications to the list on what brings about early death.

My opinion.

Sandra

It sounds like this is discerned by some of you as passing blame, but I still have a strong impression that there is correlation to the long-idolized and finally crumbling American Dream of ever-increasing security and prosperity. Both among those who are seeing it vanish and those who still think they expect and deserve it. Witness the otherwise ludicrous Trump phenomena. My heart is moved to compassion for these men and feels that drug use or non-use is not really the core issue.