Although the home should be a safe place, many families do not realize the potential danger hidden in their medicine cabinets.

Numerous clinical studies have shown that medications for OUD — specifically, methadone or buprenorphine — lead to superior outcomes for retention in treatment, reduced illicit opioid use, and decreased opioid-related overdose rates and serious acute care compared with treatments that rely on psychosocial interventions alone. However, due to a number of barriers, including access to health insurance, access to medications for OUD for those on parole, formerly incarcerated, or recently arrested remain significantly lower than the general population.

Long before the emergence of COVID-19, the United States was struggling to contain a years-long opioid crisis that took tens of thousands of lives every year. Now, with Oxycontin manufacturer Purdue Pharma still negotiating billion-dollar penalties for its role in the two-decade drug epidemic, experts have begun taking the measure of its impact on student learning.

For the past year, U.S. providers have had their hands full battling two public health crises — the Covid-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic.

The approach to storytelling is rooted firmly in the authenticity of the narrative. All the stories are true and the situations are real, blending fact with dramatized scenes and spoken word to create a film that is both entertaining and insightful.

Doug Leonard, executive director of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, has announced plans to retire this summer after two years leading the organization, which seeks to address substance abuse disorder in Bartholomew County.

Danielle Burkett is open about her past—she’s in recovery from addiction and mental health issues. She also spent time in the criminal justice system.

Now, as manager of peer support services at Mental Health America of Indiana, she’s helping others going through hard times in their lives.

It’s important to know about your prescriptions — specifically opioids.

Prevention starts in the doctor’s office by speaking out and asking your provider questions.

Before we are prescribed an opioid, it’s always best to ask, ‘”s this truly necessary for me? Is there something else that could be prescribed instead?”

Opioid overdoses have been on the rise as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken center stage. Rather than existing separately, there appears to be an interplay between COVID-19 and addictions. Now, experts say the key to saving lives might be addressing the isolation brought on by the pandemic and the stigma associated with addiction.

A study by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science at IU Bloomington found that in-utero exposure to methadone in mice could negatively affect developmental milestones related to proper functioning of the brain’s sensory and motor systems. The findings could one day lead to new treatment options that reduce long-term damage to human babies from in-utero opioid exposure.