Substance abuse is an illness that requires medical attention.

• Financial and insurance barriers to treatment should be removed to hasten same-day access to evidence-based treatment nationwide.
• As detoxification alone for substance abuse can be an ineffective and potentially dangerous practice, it may not be the only course of action for most patients.
• 12-step based approaches may be insufficient when used to stabilize and treat patients with substance abuse. 12 step-based treatment does not protect against overdose and should only be introduced as an option in combination with pharmacological treatment and medical supervision.
• As prescribed, medication assisted treatment should continue for a minimum of one year, under a long-term medical model.
• All patients with Opioid Use Disorder should have access to one of three FDA-approved medications (buprenorphine, methadone, XR-naltrexone) as their primary treatment.

Speak to your doctor about substance abuse.
We need to hear your voice.

Columbia University’s Division on Substance Use Disorders to provide technical assistance and training on evidence-based practices across all 50 states to combat the nation’s opioid crisis.  Read the press release here.

More than 60,000 Americans are killed by a drug overdose each year.

Trying to understand what 60,000 deaths per year looks like?

Here’s some perspective: