The drug overdoses have had a particularly severe effect on the life expectancy of whites ages 25 to 34. According to the CDC, they've seen a decline in life expectancy of 0.125 years between 2000 and 2014. Life expectancy also dropped for whites in the 35-to-44 and 45-to-54 age brackets. By contrast, whites in older age brackets showed big gains in longevity.