Harm reduction services keep people safe by providing supplies to otherwise hard to reach groups of people. They service populations who can then receive the supplies they need, in a discreet manner, which helps to lower the stigma associated with getting help for a SUD.

Have a safe, healthy, sober, and fun New Year’s Eve celebration!

A nightmare scenario for anyone who’s ever hosted a holiday gathering: A guest who happens to be a loved one who drinks too much or indulges in illicit drugs, behaves boorishly and flips the festive mood of the party from “ho ho ho” to “no no no.” What can you do? What are your options? And what if you’re hosting them not only for a party or dinner, but for several nights over the holidays?

Addiction is a chronic disease that can often negatively impact our lives. It can cause chaos, fear and self-recrimination. However, it also opens the door to great opportunities to grow as the old system of high expectations of self and shame fails to work, and we begin to understand that we can choose to practice self-care and love as well as connection with others even in difficult times. Continue to grow, make good memories and celebrate life during the holidays.

Studies show PTSD and substance use problems are strongly related in people who served in the military and in civilians. Some people try to cope with PTSD symptoms by drinking heavily, using drugs, or smoking too much. People who have problems with drugs or alcohol are also more likely to develop PTSD. The good news is that treatment works, and therapy can target both problems at the same time.

Ulster County legislators voted 21-2 to adopt a policy requiring the county to create a 24-hour crisis stabilization center, which as envisioned will provide a much-needed alternative to local hospital emergency rooms to those experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises.

Adolescent Chemical Wellness Advocates is a group of representatives from area schools, health-care organizations, law enforcement agencies and others seeking to address youth substance use.

In 2020, more than 3,300 kids were in the system. About 44 percent of those kids had a parent with a substance abuse issue.

Through the partnership, Highmark members will gain access to a personalized digital program that aims to reduce harmful drinking. The program includes virtual visits, medication-assisted treatment and coaching support.

Drug and alcohol use, abuse, and addiction are not only on the streets but in your neighborhood, in your church/synagogue/mosque, in your school, in your workplace and in your home. The first step in an effective national approach is admitting the true problem.

What if addiction is caused by an underlying disorder? And what if the underlying disorder, in turn, produced that drug use? And, what if the person whose life has been crippled by the drug use, is using the drug to cope with a yet undetected psychiatric illness?

Tackling addiction from this neurological perspective has potential for broad applications. While addiction ia seen with a wide chemical array of molecules—alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, opiates, and the like—the addictive behavior that results from each is the same.

It’s a story we have heard and read about all too often during the past year and a half. So many families devastated by Covid, and so many more rushed by a relapse of another kind, addiction. When the pandemic hit, people were not only sheltering at home, separated from people, they were removed from their support systems and services. This article get to the heart of addiction treatment, the need for human connection.

I recently read an article about an artist who has created an art installation. She is focused on sending a message that there’s no stigma tied to mental health and other challenges associated with addiction. The public art installation is called “I Am Here.”

The risk of developing ALD is now higher in women compared with men, across all levels of alcohol consumption. Women appear to develop liver disease with lesser alcohol exposure and suffer worse disease as compared with men.