How Did the Opioid Crisis Start?
In the 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured doctors that patients would not become addicted to opioids. Physicians began prescribing them at higher rates. It became common practice for these companies to give doctors money and gifts to get them to prescribe pills. This led to widespread misuse of prescription opioids, both by people who had prescriptions […]
Amatus Health’s Avi Burstein featured in Authority Magazine
Amatus Health’s Avi Burstein was featured in Authority Magazine. He sat down with them for their “Heroes of the Addiction Crisis” series. Burstein is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland and the VP of Clinical Services. He talks about how he wants to make a difference when it comes to addiction. “I wish someone […]
Amatus Health’s Avi Burstein featured in Thrive Global
Amatus Health’s Avi Burstein was featured in an article by Thrive Global, as part of a series about “Heroes of the Addiction Crisis.” Burstein is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland and the VP of Clinical Services. He talks about how he wants to make a difference when it comes to addiction. “I wish […]
A Conversation About Criminal Justice and Addiction With Dr. Wiley of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Can you tell me about your work with The National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]? I’ve been at NIDA almost 10 years, and I’ve worked on justice issues pretty much the whole time. A few years ago, Congress made a big appropriation to the National Institutes of Health[1]—which included NIDA—to address the pain and opioid […]
All About Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications—typically in combination with therapy—for treating addiction. Medications like Vivitrol or Suboxone help curb cravings and stave off some of the more unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, so that a person can focus on recovery. For now, there are only approved medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder, but research […]
Star-Studded Addictions: Macklemore
The first time rapper Macklemore drank, he was 13 or 14. He drank alone—stealing from his parents’ liquor cabinet—and had about 12 shots.[1] Throughout his freshman year of high school, he skipped school to drink and smoke weed. He later began misusing OxyContin. Macklemore has been making music since about the age he started drinking, […]
Star-Studded Addictions: Carrie Fisher
Actor and writer Carrie Fisher—best known for playing Princess Leia in the Stars Wars movies—spent her life destigmatizing addiction and mental health disorders. She approached her own addictions and bipolar disorder with total honesty and a sense of humor. Fisher said she used the opioid Percodan to “dial down” her manic episodes.[1] “I mean, that’s […]
COVID-19 “Long-Haulers” Receiving Potentially Addictive Prescriptions
We’ve written about the collision of the COVID-19 and opioid epidemics. Now, there is a new intersection between the two. Long-Haulers Receiving Prescriptions at Higher Rates More than three million people who have had COVID-19 are considered “long-haulers,”[1] meaning their symptoms linger for weeks or months after first becoming infected. In order to treat these […]
Star-Studded Addictions: Sia
TW: Talk of suicide The night musician Sia wrote the song “Breathe Me”—a 2004 hit that was on the season finale of the TV show Six Feet Under—she tried to kill herself by taking 22 Valium with a bottle of vodka. Six years later in 2010, she again planned to kill herself. She had […]
Study Evaluates Healthcare Quality for People With Opioid Use Disorder
A study published April 8th measured the quality of care that people with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive for healthcare unrelated to OUD.[1] It analyzed preventative care, chronic illness treatment, and care coordination in 79,372 insured people with OUD—and for comparison, 46,601 insured people without OUD. The study used data from OptumLabs Data Warehouse, which […]