Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Portugal's Wildly Successful Decriminalization Experiment

    Since introducing both the decriminalization of a range of substances like heroin and cocaine and new harm-reduction strategies in 2001, Portugal has seen success in driving down HIV cases, overdoses, and needle sharing. The country attributes their progress to treating the issue of drug use as a human rights issue rather than a criminal one, because they consider external factors that contribute to addiction like gender, class, or race.

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  • Prizes for sobriety: As Washington meth use rises, this treatment is one of few that works

    Rewarding patients for sobriety greatly increases the likelihood for recovery. The approach of contingency management creates new behaviors through incentives instead of punishment. Through the Seattle Department of Veteran’s Affairs, patients in an addiction program who test negative get to draw a prize and accumulate rewards the longer they stay sober. This alternative form of treatment has proven effective in boosting patient participation—and success—in addiction programs at the Seattle VA.

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  • Overcoming an Epidemic: Opioids in Pennsylvania

    Across Pennsylvania, researchers, medical professionals, communities, and local governments are taking steps to address the opioid crisis. The epidemic that has swept across the country is being addressed at every level, including individual, family, and community. Responses include destigmatizing efforts like the Share Your Opioid Story project, school-based prevention education, drug court programming, medication assisted treatment, and training and awareness initiatives for medical professionals in urban and rural areas.

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  • How Colorado's rural education network went from teaching home economics to fighting the opioid epidemic

    Rural parts of America are often lacking in resources such as addiction treatment centers, but a project known as Strengthening Families is working to connect families in these areas with people that can help. In Colorado, extension agents – people who are well-respected and well-known within the areas – meet with community members on a regular basis to provide information about healthy lifestyles.

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  • Colorado to allow medical marijuana for pain instead of opioids

    States are looking for solutions to the nationwide opioid crisis, and marijuana may be one answer to that search. Two states, with a third on the way, are recommending medical marijuana in place of opioids to both reduce addiction and "normalize the conversation around the issue."

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  • Why this rally promotes recovery ‘out loud'

    Every year Families of Addicts hosts its Rally 4 Recovery event in Dayton, Ohio. A self-proclaimed "love rally," the event draws in a few thousand people, with 65 resources and groups for recovery and well-being. Organizers say that such a public event helps to destigmatize addiction and recovery.

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  • Lack of space limits recovery, mental health services in Wayne County Jail

    In Ohio’s Wayne County Jail, people serving sentences can access CADET, which stands for Chemical Addiction/Dependency, Education and Therapy program. With nearly 20% of Wayne County bookings involving drug-related offenses, CADET provides participants with the support they need to overcome addiction, including cognitive behavioral treatment, crisis assessment, and case management. The program is offered in partnership with the nonprofit, OneEighty, and is often part of the term’s of some individual sentences.

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  • Green Bay police carrying Narcan to combat opioid overdoses

    When an individual has overdosed on opioids, there is a very limited amount of time to save their life which is why law enforcement officers in Green Bay, Wisconsin are now carrying Narcan nasal spray. “It’s a lifesaver,” says Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith. “I think just about probably everybody that we gave Narcan to would probably have died had we not been there to give them the Narcan.”

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  • Depressed? Here's a Bench. Talk to Me. Audio icon

    Sometimes just having someone to talk to can help those who are suffering from depression. The Friendship Bench program in NYC borrows an idea from Harare, Zimbabwe, where healthcare workers—affectionately called Grannies—sit and consult with patients on benches outside of healthcare clinics. The Grannies help people discuss their issues and have had a measurably positive impact on those they’ve reached. In New York, the Friendship Benches connect individuals to peer mentors willing to listen across the city.

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  • Heartland High: Ohio's First School For Students With Addiction

    When students return to school after receiving treatment for drug or alcohol addictions, they often face new pressures and are convinced to again use substances. At Heartland High in Columbus, Ohio, a small class size, peer support, and access to a recovery coach help students stay sober.

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