. >> reporter: the hardee's in maysville, kentucky: a popular hangout for the senior set. martin sauer used to work for the sheriff's department, where he says he saw his share of saturday night drunks, but nothing like the current opioid drug epidemic. >> people get hooked on it and can't get off of it, or don't want to, causing a lot of younger generation to lose their lives. >> reporter: and by younger generation, sauer means his middle-aged neighbors, who, as we reported last week, are experiencing a stunning rise in premature deaths due to alcoholism, suicide and drug abuse. but why? >> the health crisis here is particularly among white working class or white people with a high school and no more. for those people the economy's been very hard for a very long time. >> reporter: predictably, angus deaton and anne case, economists who have documented the dramatic decrease in life expectancy, say an obvious place to look for a use is the economy. >> it used to be with a high school degree you could get a job, that actually could provide for your family. and the disappeara

. >> reporter: maysville, kentucky, in the the northeast corner of the state, just a short bridge away from ohio. despite some merchants' best efforts at cosmopolitan outreach, the downtown is struggling. but at one local establishment, business is brisk, and growing. >> this is the batesville 20- gauge steel protector. >> reporter: this one is churchill blue. >> churchill blue. we can get this in a misty rose for the ladies. >> reporter: david lawrence manages the knox and brothers funeral home, is also the county coroner. he's been seeing a lot of dead white males of late, especially ages 45 to 54. >> a lot of it due to alcohol or drug abuse. >> there has been a denham practicing medicine. >> reporter: craig denham wears multiple hats too. >> this small bag is my grandfather's medical kit. >> reporter: a fifth generation kentucky family physician, >> my great great grandfather's. >> reporter: he's also medical director for the fire department's emergency service. >> in the past two, two and a half years, we've had about a 300% increase in the drug related overdose ambulance runs. and

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