Substance use disorder treatment is care for people struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol. It covers medication-assisted treatment, counseling, recovery programs, drug courts, and harm reduction services such as needle programs. Federal and state health agencies, courts, insurers, treatment providers, and families all take part, and policy in this area is often debated.
People usually ask how to find treatment and what kinds exist. They want to know how insurance treats addiction care, what federal help is available, how to support a loved one who refuses treatment, how drug courts combine treatment with legal consequences, and what role overdose prevention plays.
An independent team explaining how government works
Watching a loved one struggle with opioid addiction is a uniquely painful and terrifying experience. The fear of overdose, the frustration of broken promises, and the…
America faces a public health emergency of unprecedented scale: the opioid overdose crisis. While synthetic opioids like fentanyl are often the immediate agents of death, an…
The numbers are staggering. In 2022, the United States reported 81,806 opioid-involved overdose deaths, the highest number in any previous year. These fatalities represent lives lost…
When families face opioid addiction, one question dominates: "Will insurance cover treatment?" The answer lies in a federal law designed to ensure mental health and addiction…
Learn how drug courts combine treatment and supervision, who can enter, what sanctions and graduation mean, and the legal terms to check before joining.
The United States faces an unprecedented overdose crisis. This has led to interventions ranging from established Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) to controversial Overdose Prevention…
In a drug overdose emergency, one phone call can mean the difference between life and death. But for decades, fear of arrest stopped people…
An animal tranquilizer never intended for people has infiltrated the U.S. illicit drug supply, creating a new dimension to the nation's overdose crisis. The…
In the fall of 2018, as the United States grappled with an opioid crisis claiming tens of thousands of lives annually, Congress passed legislation…
Since the opioid crisis was declared a national public health emergency in October 2017, Congress has allocated tens of billions of dollars to combat…
In American governance, specific words chosen for laws and regulations determine how federal agencies operate, how billions of dollars are spent, and how millions…
Four substances have defined America's decades-long opioid epidemic: the prescription medications fentanyl, OxyContin, and Vicodin, plus the illegal drug heroin. Each has played a…
Opioids are powerful drugs that interact with the human body to produce pain relief and other effects. Sometimes called narcotics, this category includes both…
Deciding to seek help for a substance use disorder takes courage. You're not alone – millions of Americans face similar struggles, and effective treatment…
