According to DAWN, currently, the drug that causes the greatest number of death by overdose, in absolute numbers, is:

• A. Opiates
• B. Cocaine
• C. Alcohol
• D. Antidepressants

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is understanding what DAWN reports: it tracks drug-related deaths and tallies how many fatalities involve each substance. When looking at absolute numbers, the drug class that shows the most overdose deaths is opioids (including prescription painkillers and heroin). This reflects their high lethality in overdoses and their widespread use, sometimes with other depressants, which often leads to fatal outcomes.

Cocaine, antidepressants, and alcohol do contribute to overdose deaths as well, but their counts are lower in these absolute terms. In particular, alcohol causes many poisoning deaths in general, but within DAWN’s overdose counts, opioids are shown as the leading contributor. The presence of potent synthetic opioids and the ongoing opioid crisis help explain why opioids top the list in absolute numbers.