Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid often put into fake prescription pills or mixed in with other drugs, is killing more people than any other illicit drug.

Fentanyl remains the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, as its high potency and powerful effects a major contributor to overdose deaths. Often hidden in pills that look exactly like a pharmaceutical pain reliever, a user may not be able to tell the difference between a fake pill with fentanyl versus a real medication.

Human nature leads us to create explanations for things we don’t understand. We encounter large problems and try to apply our limited experience or our belief system to them so we can feel like we understand them and they aren’t so intimidating. Most commonly believed myths are relatively harmless, like believing you will get cramps if you swim right after eating. But when it comes to addiction, the myths that exist cost lives with regularity.

Stigma creates harmful misconceptions surrounding people suffering with substance use disorder. A term that in the dictionary is defined as “a mark of disgrace or infamy,” one that has detrimental consequences to those struggling with harmful substance use or mental health issues. Although substance misuse often causes erratic behavior and impaired judgment, research shows that most of these adverse effects stem from chemical changes to the brain. Yet, those suffering from addiction continue to be stigmatized by society.

Drug overdose deaths in the US increased in 2019 after a slight decrease from 2017 to 2018, suggests provisional estimates. Researchers found that while 81.5% of drug overdose deaths involved opioids, which are a class of drugs used to reduce pain, nearly 85% of overdose deaths involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl, heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine, either alone or in combination. Moreover, mental health diagnoses were documented in 25.8% of opioid overdose deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Opioid use in pregnancy has escalated dramatically in recent years, says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), but it doesn’t always begin with illicit opioids like heroin.

For most expectant moms who struggle with opioid use disorder, it began with a prescription to manage pain.

For many Americans facing addiction, the pandemic has made life significantly harder. Across the country, overdoses have soared, with more than 40 states reporting increases in opioid-related mortality. But the coronavirus is also changing how addiction medicine can be provided, and some experts are saying that could be a silver lining in a devastating public health crisis.

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress has opened its first sober living transitional home for men who are attempting to overcome substance use disorder, the latest in a series of similar efforts in the Columbus community.

The number of fatal drug overdoses in Bartholomew County has continued to rise in the shadows of the pandemic and is on the verge of matching the 2019 total with three months still left this year.

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is distributing State Opioid Response and tribal Opioid Response grant programs.

Indiana is receiving over $28.8 million for those in need of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

Emergency responders are exposed to situations that many people would not be able to emotionally bear. However, they are not immune to them, that’s why they encounter an increased risk of mental health disorders development. It is estimated that 30% of first responders develop behavioural health conditions during their time of service, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).