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The Hidden Face of Methamphetamine Addiction: Why We Need to Talk About America’s Silent Crisis
Methamphetamine addiction doesn’t discriminate. It reaches into suburban homes and rural communities with equal devastation, yet it remains one of the least understood and most stigmatized forms of substance use disorder in America today. While opioids have dominated national headlines and...
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Healing at the Source: How Tribal Nations Are Redefining Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Substance use disorder (SUD) has taken a devastating toll on the Nation’s Tribal Lands, yet Tribal Nations are confronting the crisis with courage, creativity, and cultural wisdom. Native communities carry a disproportionate burden of addiction and mental health challenges while facing some of...
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Addiction, Treatment, and the Evolution of Therapeutic Communities: The Legacy of Dr. David A. Deitch
David A. Deitch, PhD, is one of the most influential figures in the modern history of addiction treatment. A clinical and social psychologist, he currently holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, where he founded the Center for...
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Relapse Is Part of Recovery, Shame Shouldn’t Be: What I Wish More Families Understood
When someone returns to treatment after a relapse, it’s often with a heavy heart. They walk through our doors carrying the weight of shame, disappointment, and fear of judgment, not just from others, but from themselves. Families often ask, “what went wrong,” and wonder why their loved one...
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Addressing Nonparticipation in Treatment Courts: The 5 As Framework
Treatment courts face persistent challenges with participants failing to fully engage in treatment or dropping out altogether. Because engagement and retention are critical to public safety and outcomes, treatment courts must understand why nonparticipation occurs and how to respond when it does....
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Teen Drug Use Remains Near Historic Lows, NIH-Supported Survey Finds
For the fifth year in a row, use of most substances among teenagers in the United States has continued to hover around the low-water mark reached in 2021. The findings come from the latest report of the Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey of drug use behaviors and attitudes among eighth,...
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The Silent Battlefield: Synthetic Opioids Hidden in THC Vapes
The overdose crisis has always been a war, but the battlefield keeps shifting. Today, the weapon isn’t a needle or a powder bag. It’s a vape pen—sleek, pocket-sized, sold at a gas station counter, and marketed as harmless cannabis. In reality, these cartridges are Trojan horses carrying...
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A Harm Reduction Approach to Informed and Compassionate Care
Harm Reduction allows us to consider and implement practices that help individuals make safe, viable choices in support of overall wellness. Harm Reduction is also “a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs”1 and is “a key pillar...
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Treating Opioid Addiction in Jails Improves Treatment Engagement, Reduces Overdose Deaths and Reincarceration
NIH-funded study demonstrates life-saving potential of providing medications for opioid use disorder in carceral settings. A study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds that individuals who received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while incarcerated were...
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Expanding Perinatal Mental Health Care in NYC: Advancing Equity and Family Well-Being
Perinatal mental health—the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals during pregnancy and the postpartum period—is a growing public health concern. In New York City, behavioral health conditions are among the leading underlying causes of pregnancy-related deaths. According...
