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‘Every man was drinking': how much do bans on alcohol help women in India?

Preeti Jha

September 14, 2021 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Bihar

The Bihar, India, state government banned drinking and selling alcohol in 2016 after women in the mostly rural state mounted protests blaming men's alcohol abuse for rampant violence against women. Hundreds of thousands of arrests, carrying severe penalties, resulted from the ban. Previous bans in Bihar and other states failed because of unpopularity and loopholes. This one has some evidence to suggest a 15% decline in drinking, but only a 4% decline in violence, while bootlegging and other crimes have increased. The prohibition protests have spread to other states.

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Eagle County problem-solving courts offer new hope to repeat offenders battling substance abuse

Kelli Duncan

September 09, 2021 |

Vail Daily |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eagle, Colorado

Eagle County's two problem-solving courts put treatment ahead of punishment when addressing crimes committed by people with substance abuse problems. Originally set up as one court, they now function separately to address drunken driving and drugs and serve people "teetering on the edge of serious prison time" for repeat offenses. More than 90 percent of participants in 2020 maintained sobriety and more than 80 percent avoided new legal troubles. While the threat of punishment is used to win compliance with rules, prosecutors say they're more interested in permanently curing the underlying disease.

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Colorado's Harvest Farm Battles Addiction and Homelessness in Unexpected Ways

Daliah Singer

September 01, 2021 |

5280 - The Denver Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wellington, Colorado

Harvest Farm is an experiential recovery program that helps men experiencing homelessness and struggling with substance abuse achieve sobriety and become self-sufficient with stable work and housing. The program is free and a minimum of 6 months. The men toil on the farm and have access to case managers, addiction support groups, life and career development classes, and counseling. In the last phase of treatment, many hold jobs off of the farm, which provides added support through the post-graduation transition. A year after graduating, 70% of participants maintain housing and sobriety.

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Opioid Crisis: Naloxone kits 'saving a life today, changing it for tomorrow'

Dariya Baiguzhiyeva

August 31, 2021 |

Sudbury.com |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Timmins, Ontario

Paramedics with Cochrane District Emergency Medical Services distribute naloxone kits and provide education wherever they are. From coffee shops to their emergency calls on the street, paramedics distribute 20 to 40 naloxone nasal spray kits a month to people dealing with addiction as well as their families and friends. Each ambulance stocks the kits and display stickers that let the public know they are available. They’ve begun offering refill kits that just restock the naloxone itself. An electronic code allows the Cochrane EMS to track how many kits are given out and to provide quality assurance.

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Fresh start: Using agriculture to build confidence during recovery

Mia Ryder-Marks

August 29, 2021 |

Capital Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Blanchet House is a nonprofit that provides food and housing for people in need. Men who are recovering from substance abuse can live at the farm and have an opportunity to work on the land and learn skills that promote self-sufficiency and confidence. Men generally stay up to 8 months with free room and board, attend daily AA and NA meetings, and are assigned jobs like tending to the animals and ground maintenance. Unlike other sobriety programs that emphasize deep self-reflection, Blanchet House focuses on the physical component of getting your hands dirty and learning responsibility.

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The Path Forward: Decriminalizing addiction through diversion

Ryan Lowery

July 29, 2021 |

Las Vegas Optic |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alamosa, Colorado

In Alamosa County, law enforcement officers who believe drug abuse is at the root of a person's criminal behavior can refer that person to treatment and other services, rather than arresting and jailing them. The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, used in multiple places around the country, has helped the county jail fewer people and send more into treatment. It also has caused a large drop in arrest warrants, because case workers help people make their appointments in court and elsewhere. Now, San Miguel County, N.M., is working to adopt LEAD, though it needs more treatment facilities.

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Lummi Nation Creates a Community to Support Families

Elizabeth Amon

July 21, 2021 |

The Imprint |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ferndale, Washington

The Lummi Tribal council created Sche'lang'en Village to provide a supportive community for Native families that have been torn apart by the foster system, drugs, or domestic violence. The more than 30 families accepted to the low-cost housing project receive a host of services to help them recover and build better futures. A disproportionate number of Native children are taken from their families into foster care, which damages not only families but the Native culture.

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‘Know Your Script' initiative shows success in fight against opioid epidemic

Sydney Glenn

July 08, 2021 |

KSTU-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Utah

Intermountain Healthcare implemented an opioid reduction plan as part of Utah’s statewide ‘Know Your Script’ initiative. The plan, which includes an opioid-free surgery program that utilizes nerve blockers and non-opioid pain medications, has led to 11 million fewer opioid prescriptions. While not all surgeries can be performed this way, it has given recovering addicts a treatment alternative. The healthcare system also educates medical staff on ways to reduce opioid prescriptions and empowers patients to tell their providers that they do not want opioids.

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Back to Life

Tanya Hendel

June 30, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Belarus, Gomel

People Plus has begun to fill a vacuum left by the Belarus prison system's lack of reentry services aimed at giving people a better chance to succeed after prison. The NGO provides its "resocialization" counseling for incarcerated people in the six months before their release. In its first six months, the program counseled more than 1,000 people, helping prepare them to find housing and jobs and avoid substance abuse, which in many cases proved successful. Its peer counselors stay in contact with clients after prison through meetings and online forums.

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‘It liberated me': The fight for Calgary's supervised drug-use site

Hamdi Issawi

June 22, 2021 |

The Sprawl |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Calgary, Alberta

In less than three and a half years, Safeworks, the only supervised drug-use site in Calgary, saved thousands of people from opioid-overdose deaths and helped users for whom abstinence-based treatment didn't work. The government of Alberta deemed the site a scene of "chaos" and ordered it closed once two new sites open. Safeworks supporters oppose the disruption in harm-reduction work that move would bring, considering how critical personal relationships built on trust are to this kind of service.

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