Recently the Baltimore Sun published a piece about counterfeit oxycodone in Harford County Maryland. This counterfeit-cocktail is linked to an increasing number of deaths in that area. In May 2016, three people overdosed in one weekend. The counterfeit pills are so dangerous because they contain fentanyl, heroin, and caffeine instead of the pure oxycodone that is expected. Those at risk must be ...
Surgeon General Supports Opiate Treatment Programs
The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, has joined thousands of treatment professionals and researchers speaking out in support of opiate treatment programs. Dr. Murthy was appointed to his post in December 2014, and by the latter part of 2015 he was already spreading his message about fighting addiction and preventing the stigma associated with it. He delivered heartfelt remarks at a ...
Opiate Addiction Treatment Stigma Persists
Over the past couple decades, as opiate addiction treatment has evolved, many addiction treatment providers have remained reluctant to give up on abstinence-based programs for recovery. A persistent stigma against Medication-assisted treatment prevented the integration of buprenorphine, naloxone, and methadone into mainstream addiction therapies. It’s time to reduce that stigma by getting these ...
Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment
When someone in the family becomes addicted to opiates, every other person in the family is affected. There are countless stories of families torn apart by addiction, and family therapy during addiction treatment becomes a cohesive way to educate everyone in the family about addiction. Additionally, families are able to explore the dynamics that perpetuate addictive behaviors. Fortunately, many ...
CARA Promises Drug Rehabilitation Treatment
Now that CARA has passed in the Senate, what’s next? CARA, of course, is the Comprehensive Addictions and Recovery Act, Senate bill 524, the first stand alone bill to pass the Senate in years. This bill, covering drug rehabilitation treatment, met sound approval from both Democrats and Republicans. It's shocking that, in a year when the political arena more closely resembles a three-ring circus, ...
Suboxone for Opioid Use Disorder in Georgia
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) long ago identified methadone as the gold standard for opioid use disorder in Georgia. But, don’t be misled by those words: While the people who address addiction issues from Atlanta to Savannah and throughout the state have long recognized the benefits of methadone treatment, Suboxone has also been recognized as an ...
