The white powder, deposited in a small tube, arrived one morning by FedEx in a basement office on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Quick OD, half bag, weirdly lethargic after,” the anonymous drug user from Wilmington, N.C., wrote on a slip of paper the size of an index card,...Read More

Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, according to final figures released Thursday. The official number was 106,699, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s nearly 16% higher than the nearly 92,000 overdose deaths in 2020. Earlier, provisional data suggested there were more than 107,000 overdose deaths last year. The numbers...Read More

For decades, the U.S. struggled to create a national system for tracking opioid overdoses. Critics including Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) say the lack of accurate, real-time data has made it harder for health officials to respond as black market pain pills, heroin and illicit fentanyl flooded communities. “It is absolutely a monstrous failure of government,”...Read More

A challenge that often appears this time of the year is increased substance use during the holiday season. The holidays can be exhausting and stressful which can trigger mental health challenges. Those who are recovering or struggling with an active addiction can have a very hard time during the holidays which could in turn lead...Read More

Researchers have long known that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be prescribed lifesaving addiction treatment options than white people. But even when Black and Hispanic patients start a prescription for buprenorphine — the most popular medication to help those in recovery fight cravings — the typical duration of their treatment is shorter...Read More

Lillianna Alfaro was a recent high school graduate raising a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a friend bought what they thought was the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in December 2020. The pills were fake and contained fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times as powerful as the same amount of heroin....Read More

October 5, 2022 (Spokane, Washington) Good evening from Spokane, Washington—where we are saying goodbye to the big red bus that has taken us 10,403 miles over the past 31 days. On our final stop of #MobilizeRecovery tonight, all of our gratitude goes to the thousands of volunteer hours, hundreds of community partners, passionate and dedicated...Read More

No matter where you are in the United States during National Recovery Month, you may spot an unusual sight: a red bus, covered in names. The bus, organized by Mobilize Recovery, an advocacy group that pushes for evidence-based substance use treatment methods, is stopping in 27 communities across the country throughout September, meeting up with state...Read More

National Recovery Month (Recovery Month), which started in 1989, is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible. SAMHSA aims to increase public awareness...Read More

The overdose epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on our Nation, claiming the lives of far too many Americans and devastating families and communities across the country.  During Overdose Awareness Week, we renew our commitment to taking bold action to prevent overdoses and related deaths.  We continue our efforts to enhance prevention, harm reduction, treatment,...Read More