'A purpose in life,' Mike Hirst named 2016 Citizen of the Year
Three days later, Mike Hirst addressed the drug's dangers at his son's funeral and later formed the non-profit organization, Andy's Angels, to support, educate and mentor people who've succumbed to heroin addiction. For five years, Hirst has spoken at … Read more on MLive.com

Support listings Jan. 3, 2015
Celebrate Recovery, Christ centered recovery ministry to assist individuals to implement God's grace and healing in their lives for any situation including alcoholism, divorce, sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction, overeating, sexual … Read more on The Keene Sentinel

New Hampshire's Drug Epidemic Takes Center Stage Before Democratic Debate
… their hosts are begging them to focus on the drug epidemic that has gripped the state. In a poll conducted by ABC Manchester affiliate WMUR-TV in October, residents named drug abuse the top issue facing New Hampshire, the only time in the past … Read more on ABC News

Mother speaks out about son's addiction underlying major Meriden drug bust
Though he successfully completed a rehabilitation program in Florida this fall, “I'll be a recovering addict till I die,” Christopher Willette said, noting that mental illness also played a role in his addiction. In college, Christopher Willette began … Read more on Meriden Record-Journal

Scarborough Police: Drug Addicts Seeking Treatment Won't be Charged with Crime
SCARBOROUGH, Maine — The Scarborough Police Department announced this week that it's taking action to get people addicted to opiates into treatment. The department is … But the plan didn't cover detox, so he had to do an online fundraising campaign. Read more on Maine Public Broadcasting

Sunday September 6, 2015: CityLine on the Opioids Crisis
BOSTON —It's a crisis of epic proportions. The opioid epidemic in Massachusetts has led Governor Charlie Baker to declare a public health emergency. MA Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel joins the program for a special CityLine in … Read more on WCVB Boston

He helped others fight heroin, died of overdose at 24
Many of them, he knew, shared his bitter enemy: heroin addiction. Johny was fresh from his latest round of rehab and pursuing a path from halfway house to college to a career in nursing. On Feb. 27, he relapsed one last time. He was 24. Johny … Read more on Press & Sun-Bulletin

The new face of heroin calls for compassion, but the old was a scourge
In Gloucester, Mass., for instance, the police chief has offered to help opiate addicts who walk into the police station and hand over the drugs. “We will walk them through the system toward detox and recovery,” the chief wrote on Facebook. “We will … Read more on Washington Post

Hillary Clinton's billion plan for treating drug addiction
“He said his biggest worry was the rising tide of heroin addiction in the state, following a wave of prescription drug abuse,” Clinton wrote. “To be candid, I didn't expect what came next. In state after state, this issue came up again and again … Read more on Washington Post

White House Is Pressed to Help Widen Access to Hepatitis C Drugs via Medicaid
The experts, from the Public Health Service and President Obama's Advisory Council on H.I.V./AIDS, said restrictions on the drugs imposed by many states were inconsistent with sound medical practice, as reflected in treatment guidelines issued by … Read more on New York Times

Guest Opinion: Time to improve the standard of care for opioid addiction
As with all chronic diseases, some patients require a higher level of care, which often means an inpatient drug treatment program, commonly referred to as “rehab.” A large percentage of these treatment programs, however, expressly prohibit the use of … Read more on Taunton Daily Gazette

Vermont's Governor Reveals Complications, Surprises Of State's Fight Against …
Denial is the biggest challenge to recovery. Opiate addicts will lie. They will cheat. They will deceive. They will desert their children. They will do anything to get this drug. The window of opportunity to move folks from denial to recovery is when … Read more on Huffington Post

After Mysterious Absence, Dallas DA In Treatment For Mental Illness
After two terms, Dallas voters decided it was time for a change and elected Republican Susan Hawk to take over. To the Democratic city, Hawk's winning … But, months later, the Dallas Morning News broke the story that Hawk had actually been in drug … Read more on NPR

2015 "Music With A Mission" Sponsor Best Drug Rehabilitation Releases Artist …
Best Drug Rehabilitation was founded with the principle of giving people a choice in treatment options. Founder Per Wickstrom, after a long struggle with his own addiction and going through several treatment programs before finding one that worked for him. Read more on Midland Daily News

Amid heroin epidemic in New Hampshire, candidates talk substance abuse
The Republican presidential hopeful touched on his efforts in New Jersey to expand recovery services, including mandatory treatment for nonviolent, first-time drug offenders. Christie was one name on a long roster of speakers at the rally, including … Read more on Concord Monitor

When life begins in rehab: A baby heals after a mother's heroin addiction
BALTIMORE — After a month of painful withdrawal that bunched her body into a tight ball, after tremors and diarrhea and sleeplessness and difficulty eating, Makenzee Kennedy went home to her bed in a drug rehab facility to celebrate a milestone … Read more on Washington Post

Founder of Turkish rehab center laments poor performance in treatment
Founder of Turkish rehab center laments poor performance in treatment The founder of the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment and Education Center (AMATEM) laments Turkey's failure at treating addicts, also noting that much of the medicine … Read more on BGN NEWS

Budget battle slows funds for heroin treatment
"We need to have enough dollars in the budget to address our substance abuse crisis and to help cities like Manchester, in particular," Hassan said. A year after Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin made heroin addiction the focus of his state of the state … Read more on WMUR Manchester

Are Ohio heroin laws helping? – Coshocton Tribune
That might mean more beds at a halfway house or counseling. Mohr called the money a much-needed boost for local judges, jails and law enforcement trying to treat addiction. Lawmakers also asked Mohr's office to look at converting a prison into a … Read more on Coshocton Tribune

New St. E clinic to treat heroin addicts with meds
Vivitrol is a non-narcotic that blocks the effects of heroin and decreases the desire for the drug. Suboxone is the brand name … Northern Kentucky has limited addiction intervention with these medicines used as treatment for heroin addiction even … Read more on Cincinnati.com

Final certainty
Rather than let the illness take its dreadful course she moved to Oregon, where a “Death with Dignity” law exempts doctors from prosecution, with some safeguards, if they prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients who ask for them. … Not … Read more on The Economist

Jailhouse nation
Californians voted last year in a referendum to downgrade several non-violent felonies to mis-demeanours. Other states are experimenting with better education in prisons (so that ex-convicts have a better chance of finding work), and drug treatment or … Read more on The Economist