What to Do for the Opioid Epidemic

What can the addiction field do to address the opioid epidemic? The addiction field is large and diverse, stretching from small mutual support groups to large treatment programs. This diversity is both a strength and a weakness. A variety of treatment and recovery...

Harm Reduction Policy for the Opioid Epidemic

What is harm reduction? Harm reduction is “a set of practical strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.” It is also “a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.”...

Treatment for Opioid Addiction

What are the goals of treatment for opioid addiction? The three major goals of treatment are to stay alive, to reduce and then stop opioid misuse, and to begin to rebuild a life. Amid an epidemic of opioid overdoses, staying alive is a goal...

Surveillance, Evaluation, and Research and the Opioid Epidemic

How well is the United States tracking the opioid epidemic? Not well. For a threat that has cost tens of thousands of lives and reduced US life expectancy, the opioid crisis is not sufficiently monitored. Federal reports with data on the number of...

Criminal Justice Policy and the Opioid Epidemic

What is the war on drugs? The “war on drugs” refers to the primary US approach to addressing drug use since the early 1970s. While its roots can be traced to the anti-drug rhetoric and legislation of the early 20th century, its modern...

Treatment and Recovery Policy for the Opioid Epidemic

How important is broad access to effective treatment for opioid addiction? Top of the list. Treatment does more than just help save individuals one at a time. If treatment is broadly accessible and well-organized into a system of care, then it can bend the...

Prevention Policy for the Opioid Epidemic

How can communities prevent opioid addiction? Addiction involves an interaction between the substance, an individual, and the environment. This means there are three ways to prevent addiction: by reducing exposure, by helping individuals remain resilient even when exposure occurs, and by promoting a healthy...

A Historical Perspective on the Opioid Epidemic

When did the opioid epidemic start? Some point to January 10, 1980, as the first day of America’s opioid epidemic. That’s when the New England Journal of Medicine published a one-paragraph letter with the title “Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics.”...

Opioids and Pregnancy

What are the risks of opioid exposure during pregnancy? Opioids cross the placenta. That means when a pregnant woman consumes opioids, some pass through to her developing fetus. The most direct impact of opioids on the fetus is the development of tolerance. Just as...

Misuse of Opioids

What is misuse of opioids? Use of opioids outside of legitimate medical care is illegal in the United States. The medical and public health term for this is misuse. Misuse takes many forms and can involve stolen pills, counterfeit pills, bags of heroin, and...