Overdose in Allegheny County: 2014 updates. 2014 began with a rash of drug overdose deaths related to a dangerous heroin/fentanyl combination that emerged suddenly in the American northeast.
Addiction in the News
Could collaborative documentation be the next big—and effective—thing in behavioral healthcare?
Transparency is also expected from our health care providers. It’s what’s behind patient listservs and organizations that work to connect patients with each other and make health information accessible. Some say sharing session notes with patients improves the treatment of substance use disorders.
Hookah Use Growing Among Young Adults, Harms Underestimated
Hookah, after years of hiding in dark and smoky corners, is about to get pulled into the crossfire between two formidable forces: big tobacco and big government. Risks, regulation, and popular images of smoking waterpipes.
We can’t ignore the social aspects of substance use, addiction and treatment
Neuroscientist and social critic Carl Hart brings attention to the need for interventions that better address social environments.
Let’s be sensitive to the messages we hear about pills
Distributing candy pills at a behavioral health conference was a marketing faux pas. We can use it to spark change that will save lives.
How to find treatment in Allegheny County
If you need help with substance use, would you know who to call? What about finding help for a loved one? Here are practical ways to connect with drug and alcohol services.
Why do we talk about a “Drug Czar?”
“Drug czar” is a colloquial term for the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a position in the Obama administration. There are a lot of cooks in this particular kitchen, which makes the ONDCP’s job complicated.
Bars Without Booze
Non-alcoholic bars are cool, say the Brits. Will we follow suit? The owners of the upcoming Counterfeit Bar in Phoenix, AZ, say yes.
Study finds methadone clinics don’t increase crime in Baltimore neighborhoods
Methadone is a federally-regulated medication that, by law, is dispensed only by licensed treatment settings when used to treat opioid addiction. It has been studied exhaustively and many of its benefits are undisputed in the research literature.
Get High or Die Trying
Maxim Furek sent us an article titled “Get High or Die Trying in the Summer of 2006,” which he wrote on spike in overdose deaths a few years back caused by a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. The overdose outbreak that hit Pittsburgh in 2006 sounds a lot like today.
