Drug related deaths in the United States have increased over the last few years, and one woman is sharing the signs of addiction after losing her mom to an overdose.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says over 100,000 people in the U.S. died from a drug-involved overdose in 2022. The data shows deaths involving primarily fentanyl continued to rise with close to 80,000 overdose deaths out of the 100,000, reported in the same year. 

North Carolina resident Morgan Coyner said her life changed after her mom died in 2019.

“Five years ago, I lost my mom to an opioid overdose,” Coyner said.

The official cause of death was Xanax and fentanyl.

“She was taking what she thought was a benzodiazepine, which is a psychiatric drug. It had been cut with fentanyl,” said Coyner.

Coyner said her mothers’ death was ruled as an opioid overdose because fentanyl was mixed in.

Coyner said at the time of her mom’s passing, she began working at an addiction treatment center and wasn’t aware of the signs and symptoms of addiction.

“Being withdrawn and isolating, erratic sleep patterns, irritability,” Coyner said of the signs.

Almost two years later, Coyner says she’s now the executive vice president at Addiction Professionals of North Carolina. If she had been aware of the signs and symptoms of addicition, she said she would have talked to her mother and got her the help she needed.

“I'm a big believer that medication assisted treatment could [have] saved my mom's life,” Coyner said.

Even though someone is battling an addiction, there’s always help out there.

Coyner says those who need help can reach out to a local recovery treatment center or a support group, or contact Addiction Professionals of North Carolina.