substance abuse

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration badge. The DEA issued an alert warning of a "sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine" on Monday.

What to know about xylazine, the drug authorities are calling a public safety threat

1:01pm March 21, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

The veterinary tranquilizer has been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths across the country, especially in the Northeast. It's often combined with fentanyl, but can't be treated with Narcan.

Patricia Hopkins is superintendent of a rural school district in Maine's Kennebec County, which signed on to a lawsuit against opioid companies. She hopes the settlement funds will allow her to hire more social workers to help children whose families have been affected by the opioid crisis.

Health & Safety

States differ on how best to spend $26B from settlement in opioid cases

5:00am November 22, 2022

by Aneri Pattani

The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic. But with countless groups advocating for a share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.

Artificial intelligence brain by particle form.

In 'Dopamine Nation,' Overabundance Keeps Us Craving More

2:34pm August 25, 2021

by Terry Gross

Psychiatrist Anna Lembke's new book explores the brain's connection between pleasure and pain. It also helps explain addictions — not just to drugs and alcohol, but also to food, sex and smartphones.

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Arthur Jackson (right) gets blood tests during home visits in Boston from nurse Brenda Mastricola. He's also getting intravenous penicillin to treat a serious bone infection in his foot. The medication's pump is connected to an indwelling IV catheter. It'

The Case For Sending Drug Users Home From The Hospital With Open IV Lines

7:19pm February 20, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

When patients need long-term treatment with IV antibiotics, hospitals usually let them do it at home — but not if they have a history of injection drug use. A Boston program wants to change that.

Officer Brian Cregg checks in with a man who says he is homeless and living in his car in Concord, N.H. In Concord, as in many parts of the Northeast, widespread use of meth is new, police say, and is changing how they approach interactions with people wh

Is It A Meth Case Or Mental Illness? Police Who Need To Know Often Can't Tell

7:53pm October 22, 2019

by Martha Bebinger

Calming techniques officers learn during training for intervening in a mental health crisis don't seem to work as well when a suspect is high on meth. Police say meth calls can be much more dangerous.

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Politics & Government

State Moves To Revoke License of Greensboro Treatment Facility

4:42pm September 11, 2019

by Paul Garber

State health officials have barred a Greensboro treatment facility from accepting new admissions.

Supporters of safe injection sites in Philadelphia rallied outside this week's federal hearing. The judge's ultimate ruling will determine if the proposed "Safehouse" facility to prevent deaths from opioid overdose would violate the federal Controlled Sub

Trump Administration Is In Court To Block Nation's First Supervised Injection Site

6:03pm September 06, 2019

by Nina Feldman

Efforts to combat Philadelphia's opioid crisis with a supervised injection site could be stymied by a portion of federal law meant to protect neighborhoods during the crack epidemic of the 1980s.

The best help for patients struggling with addiction, eating disorders or other mental health problems sometimes includes intensive therapy, the evidence shows. But many patients still have trouble getting their health insurers to cover needed mental heal

'Mental Health Parity' Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage

5:00am June 07, 2019

by Graison Dangor

The Affordable Care Act and other U.S. laws sought to put insurance coverage for mental health conditions on equal footing with coverage for physical conditions. But patients say that's not happening.

Chef Patrick Mulvaney talks with his kitchen staff as they prepare dinner at B&L restaurant.

Health & Safety

California Chef Aims To Help Restaurant Workers Prevent Suicide

7:00am February 11, 2019

by Samantha Caiola

The restaurant business can be tough on your mental health, and has led some chefs to suicide. Chef Patrick Mulvaney is helping Sacramento kitchen workers learn the warning signs and ask for help.

Offering therapy to children in need at school makes sense, says Sarah Nadeau, who adopted two girls from a family that struggled with addiction, because sometimes school is the only stable place they have.

School-Based Counselors Help Kids Cope With Fallout From Drug Addiction

9:05am December 05, 2018

by Rachel Gotbaum

More than 50 Massachusetts schools are participating in a new program that brings counselors in to help children deal with the stress and trauma of living in families struggling with drug addiction.