With regards to employment, the average employee takes 0.83 days off from work per month, the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that individuals who abuse opioids are absent for more than 2.2 days of work monthly [28]. Opioid abusers cost the American health care system 8.7 times more than non-abusers ($15,884 versus $1,830 annually), and this cost increases after accounting for comorbidities such as depression and HIV [29].
