Take Our Knowledge Test

Take Our Knowledge Test

2019 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
Test your knowledge on the ongoing opioid epidemic and prevention methods.
Read More
State of addiction: How UAB is making an impact on the opioid crisis

State of addiction: How UAB is making an impact on the opioid crisis

2019 Policy and Activism
The numbers — and the heartbreaking stories contained within them — are staggering.
Read More
Benefits of Machine Learning Algorithm for Predicting Opioid Overdoses

Benefits of Machine Learning Algorithm for Predicting Opioid Overdoses

2019 Harm Reduction
Jenny Lo-Ciganic, assistant professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, explains why a machine learning algorithm is beneficial for risk prediction and stratification of opioid overdoses.
Read More
AMA Opioid Task Force recommendations offer roadmap to policymakers

AMA Opioid Task Force recommendations offer roadmap to policymakers

2019 Policy and Activism
The American Medical Association (AMA) Opioid Task Force released recommendations today calling on policymakers to eliminate barriers to treatment and to take additional steps to end the opioid epidemic.
Read More
Kids Whose Parents Use Opioids Are Twice As Likely to Attempt Suicide

Kids Whose Parents Use Opioids Are Twice As Likely to Attempt Suicide

2019 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
In the 15 years since the suicide rate among young people in the U.S. began increasing, opioid use and abuse among adults also has sharply risen.
Read More
Calhoun County Anti-drug Agency Installs Drug Takeback Bin at Drug Store

Calhoun County Anti-drug Agency Installs Drug Takeback Bin at Drug Store

2019 Harm Reduction
In Calhoun County, a drug bin--like the ones installed in local police departments--is now located at a local drug store.
Read More
New Emergency Protocol Targets Opioid Addiction and Deaths

New Emergency Protocol Targets Opioid Addiction and Deaths

2019 Treatment and Recovery Options
A new initiative from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Emergency Medicine is looking to approach the opioid epidemic in a holistic way.
Read More
Panel discussion held in Colbert County to help end opioid crisis

Panel discussion held in Colbert County to help end opioid crisis

2019 Policy and Activism
It is an epidemic which has a firm grip on much of north Alabama.
Read More
Breaking The Cycle: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) In The Criminal Justice System

Breaking The Cycle: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) In The Criminal Justice System

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
For persons with an opioid use disorder who are in the criminal justice system, the process of transitioning from jail or prison back to the community can be overwhelming.
Read More
Mother on a mission: pushing for state change after son’s accidental overdose

Mother on a mission: pushing for state change after son’s accidental overdose

2019 Policy and Activism
A Blount County mother is on a mission to spare others her grief following her son's shocking overdose death. She's behind a push for Alabama to adopt the J.K. Elrod bill.
Read More
To help fight the opioid crisis, a new tool from Maps and Search

To help fight the opioid crisis, a new tool from Maps and Search

2019 Harm Reduction
In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, with over 130 Americans dying every day from opioid-related drug overdoses.
Read More
DEA, Google Team Up to Make Drug Disposal Easier

DEA, Google Team Up to Make Drug Disposal Easier

2019 Harm Reduction
Search engine giant rolls out medication disposal tech.
Read More
Amid Opioid Crisis, Google Maps will show you where to dispose drugs

Amid Opioid Crisis, Google Maps will show you where to dispose drugs

2019 Harm Reduction
Google Maps is taking steps to help combat the opioid epidemic.
Read More
Peer Support Specialists Care for and Connect Rural Behavioral Health Clients

Peer Support Specialists Care for and Connect Rural Behavioral Health Clients

2019 Treatment and Recovery Options
Throughout the country, Peer Support Specialists are working to beat the feeling being along by connecting clients together.
Read More
Long-term opioid use for OA varies greatly by state

Long-term opioid use for OA varies greatly by state

2019 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
The use of opioids for osteoarthritis is varying greatly from state to state.
Read More
The opioid crisis in Birmingham: ways you can help slow the epidemic

The opioid crisis in Birmingham: ways you can help slow the epidemic

2019 Policy and Activism
The opioid crisis in Birmingham is real, just like it is across the United States. Actually, did you know Alabama has the highest prescribing rates in the nation? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alabama’s prescribing rate was 121 per 100 people in 2016.
Read More
Alabama gets federal assistance to help take drug dealers, drugs off the streets

Alabama gets federal assistance to help take drug dealers, drugs off the streets

2018 Policy and Activism
In the state’s ongoing fight against the drug epidemic, Gov. Kay Ivey has put federal funds in the hands of law enforcement in hopes of reducing illegal drug use in the state by arresting those who buy or sell illegal drugs or falsely obtain prescription drugs.
Read More
In Pennsylvania, People Lined Up For Free Naloxone

In Pennsylvania, People Lined Up For Free Naloxone

2018 Naloxone News
The state made the opioid reversal drug, naloxone, available to anyone.
Read More
New degree could bring help in opioid crisis

New degree could bring help in opioid crisis

2018 Policy and Activism
The University of Alabama's decision to add a degree in addiction and recovery is a timely move, but also a reality check on the state's steep opioid abuse crisis.
Read More
Alabama In Top 5 For Opioid Sales In U.S.

Alabama In Top 5 For Opioid Sales In U.S.

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
Tennessee tops the list for most opioid sales, but Alabama is close, as the crisis mounts throughout the country.
Read More
OPIOID CRISIS: Overdose fighting devices in Alabama schools

OPIOID CRISIS: Overdose fighting devices in Alabama schools

2018 Naloxone News
Phase two of the state’s partnership with a company that makes opioid overdose fighting devices, will now be found in public and private high schools here in Alabama.
Read More
Insurer cracking down on opioid prescriptions

Insurer cracking down on opioid prescriptions

2018 Policy and Activism
Blue Cross Blue Shield's recent announcement that, effective Jan. 1, 2019, it no longer will cover standard formulations of the opioid painkiller OxyContin drew some attention.
Read More
A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster

A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster

2018 Policy and Activism
When he was police chief of Stanwood, Wash., population 7,000, Ty Trenary thought rural communities like his were immune from the opioid crisis.
Read More
AP analysis: ‘Obamacare’ shapes opioid grant spending

AP analysis: ‘Obamacare’ shapes opioid grant spending

2018 Policy and Activism
With Republicans and Democrats joining forces again in a bipartisan effort to target the U.S. opioid crisis, an Associated Press analysis of the first wave of emergency money from Congress finds that states are taking very different approaches to spending it.
Read More
University of Alabama team wins $1 million grant to develop tool to combat opioid abuse

University of Alabama team wins $1 million grant to develop tool to combat opioid abuse

2018 Policy and Activism
Across the country, opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels, severely affecting communities and straining public safety resources.
Read More
For Beating The Opioid Crisis, America Has Better Weapons Than Fentanyl Test Strips

For Beating The Opioid Crisis, America Has Better Weapons Than Fentanyl Test Strips

2018 Policy and Activism
The opioids crisis is affecting communities across the nation. The disease of opioid use disorder does not discriminate.
Read More
Hypnosis could be key treatment for opioid addiction

Hypnosis could be key treatment for opioid addiction

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
As the nation struggles with a sweeping opioid epidemic, mental health experts say they have found a possible solution. It's a way to kick a painkiller habit before it even starts.
Read More
Using Telemedicine to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

Using Telemedicine to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
HHS has developed materials to help clarify how clinicians can use telemedicine as a tool to expand buprenorphine-based MAT for opioid use disorder treatment.
Read More
FDA takes important steps to encourage appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids through final approval of new safety measures governing the use of immediate-release opioid analgesic medications

FDA takes important steps to encourage appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids through final approval of new safety measures governing the use of immediate-release opioid analgesic medications

2018 Policy and Activism
Today’s action places immediate-release opioid analgesic drugs intended for use in an outpatient setting into agency’s Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy
Read More
A Simple Reason So Many Older Americans Are Overdosing on Opioids

A Simple Reason So Many Older Americans Are Overdosing on Opioids

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
A recent poll suggests many doctors aren’t warning elderly patients of the risks when prescribing painkillers.
Read More
Lawmakers announce opioid overdose devices for high schools statewide

Lawmakers announce opioid overdose devices for high schools statewide

2018 Naloxone News
An auto-injection device that helps reverse an overdose from opioids, like heroin and prescription painkillers, is being offered for free to high schools across the state of Alabama.
Read More
Legislators tackle opioids

Legislators tackle opioids

2018 Policy and Activism
Alabama is at Ground Zero in the opioid overdose crisis — last year the state had the highest national number of opioid prescriptions, more than the state’s total population, according to a report by insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Read More
Opioid addiction skyrockets in pregnant women, CDC says

Opioid addiction skyrockets in pregnant women, CDC says

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
The risks of being pregnant while addicted to opioids are stark – miscarriage and stillbirth.
Read More
Harvard study names Alabama as one of the states with highest rate of opioid prescriptions

Harvard study names Alabama as one of the states with highest rate of opioid prescriptions

2018 Naloxone News
Alabama doctors are writing more opioid prescriptions than any other state in our nation
Read More
Study reveals opioid patients face multiple barriers to treatment

Study reveals opioid patients face multiple barriers to treatment

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a new Vanderbilt study found.
Read More
FDA Approves Generic Option for Opioid Dependence

FDA Approves Generic Option for Opioid Dependence

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
The FDA has approved the first generic version of Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual film for the treatment of opioid dependence.
Read More
Doctors in Alabama decreasing the number of opioid prescriptions they write

Doctors in Alabama decreasing the number of opioid prescriptions they write

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
Physicians across the United States are helping battle the opioid crisis by lowering the number of opioid prescriptions they write.
Read More
With More Opioid Use, People Are More Likely To Get Caught Up In The Justice System

With More Opioid Use, People Are More Likely To Get Caught Up In The Justice System

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
Any amount of opioid use was associated with a higher risk of arrest, parole or probation according to a new study.
Read More
Ten insights on the US opioid crisis from claims data analysis

Ten insights on the US opioid crisis from claims data analysis

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
Careful analysis of health insurers’ claims data can provide important insights into the opioid crisis by identifying patterns that could help shape strategies to combat opioid dependence and abuse.
Read More
FDA approves the first non-opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults

FDA approves the first non-opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults

2018 Treatment and Recovery Options
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt discontinuation of opioids in adults.
Read More
Study upends conventional view of opioid mechanism of action

Study upends conventional view of opioid mechanism of action

2018 Opioid and Overdose Statistics
NIH-funded scientists find new molecular target for developing safer pain medications.
Read More
U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose

U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose

2018 Naloxone News
The Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service makes an announcement on the importance of naloxone in the opioid epidemic.
Read More

Harm Reduction

2019Harm Reduction
June 5, 2019

Benefits of Machine Learning Algorithm for Predicting Opioid Overdoses

Jenny Lo-Ciganic, assistant professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, explains why a machine learning algorithm is beneficial…
2019Harm Reduction
May 14, 2019

Calhoun County Anti-drug Agency Installs Drug Takeback Bin at Drug Store

In Calhoun County, a drug bin--like the ones installed in local police departments--is now located at a local drug store.
2019Harm Reduction
February 21, 2019

To help fight the opioid crisis, a new tool from Maps and Search

In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, with over 130 Americans dying every day from opioid-related drug overdoses.
2019Harm Reduction
February 21, 2019

DEA, Google Team Up to Make Drug Disposal Easier

Search engine giant rolls out medication disposal tech.
2019Harm Reduction
February 21, 2019

Amid Opioid Crisis, Google Maps will show you where to dispose drugs

Google Maps is taking steps to help combat the opioid epidemic.

Naloxone News

2018Naloxone News
December 14, 2018

In Pennsylvania, People Lined Up For Free Naloxone

The state made the opioid reversal drug, naloxone, available to anyone.
2018Naloxone News
November 12, 2018

OPIOID CRISIS: Overdose fighting devices in Alabama schools

Phase two of the state’s partnership with a company that makes opioid overdose fighting devices, will now be found in public and private high schools here in Alabama.
2018Naloxone News
August 31, 2018

Lawmakers announce opioid overdose devices for high schools statewide

An auto-injection device that helps reverse an overdose from opioids, like heroin and prescription painkillers, is being offered for free to high schools across the state of Alabama.
2018Naloxone News
July 31, 2018

Harvard study names Alabama as one of the states with highest rate of opioid prescriptions

Alabama doctors are writing more opioid prescriptions than any other state in our nation
2018Naloxone News
April 5, 2018

U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose

The Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service makes an announcement on the importance of naloxone in the opioid epidemic.

Opioid and Overdose Statistics

2019Opioid and Overdose Statistics
June 18, 2019

Take Our Knowledge Test

Test your knowledge on the ongoing opioid epidemic and prevention methods.
2019Opioid and Overdose Statistics
May 22, 2019

Kids Whose Parents Use Opioids Are Twice As Likely to Attempt Suicide

In the 15 years since the suicide rate among young people in the U.S. began increasing, opioid use and abuse among adults also has sharply risen.
2019Opioid and Overdose Statistics
February 4, 2019

Long-term opioid use for OA varies greatly by state

The use of opioids for osteoarthritis is varying greatly from state to state.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
November 27, 2018

Alabama In Top 5 For Opioid Sales In U.S.

Tennessee tops the list for most opioid sales, but Alabama is close, as the crisis mounts throughout the country.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
August 31, 2018

A Simple Reason So Many Older Americans Are Overdosing on Opioids

A recent poll suggests many doctors aren’t warning elderly patients of the risks when prescribing painkillers.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
August 20, 2018

Opioid addiction skyrockets in pregnant women, CDC says

The risks of being pregnant while addicted to opioids are stark – miscarriage and stillbirth.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
June 11, 2018

Doctors in Alabama decreasing the number of opioid prescriptions they write

Physicians across the United States are helping battle the opioid crisis by lowering the number of opioid prescriptions they write.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
June 6, 2018

With More Opioid Use, People Are More Likely To Get Caught Up In The Justice System

Any amount of opioid use was associated with a higher risk of arrest, parole or probation according to a new study.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
June 1, 2018

Ten insights on the US opioid crisis from claims data analysis

Careful analysis of health insurers’ claims data can provide important insights into the opioid crisis by identifying patterns that could help shape strategies to combat opioid dependence and abuse.
2018Opioid and Overdose Statistics
May 10, 2018

Study upends conventional view of opioid mechanism of action

NIH-funded scientists find new molecular target for developing safer pain medications.

Policy and Activism

2019Policy and Activism
June 6, 2019

State of addiction: How UAB is making an impact on the opioid crisis

The numbers — and the heartbreaking stories contained within them — are staggering.
2019Policy and Activism
May 30, 2019

AMA Opioid Task Force recommendations offer roadmap to policymakers

The American Medical Association (AMA) Opioid Task Force released recommendations today calling on policymakers to eliminate barriers to treatment and to take additional steps to end the opioid epidemic.
2019Policy and Activism
March 20, 2019

Panel discussion held in Colbert County to help end opioid crisis

It is an epidemic which has a firm grip on much of north Alabama.
2019Policy and Activism
March 13, 2019

Mother on a mission: pushing for state change after son’s accidental overdose

A Blount County mother is on a mission to spare others her grief following her son's shocking overdose death. She's behind a push for Alabama to adopt the J.K. Elrod…
2019Policy and Activism
January 11, 2019

The opioid crisis in Birmingham: ways you can help slow the epidemic

The opioid crisis in Birmingham is real, just like it is across the United States. Actually, did you know Alabama has the highest prescribing rates in the nation? According to…
2018Policy and Activism
December 14, 2018

Alabama gets federal assistance to help take drug dealers, drugs off the streets

In the state’s ongoing fight against the drug epidemic, Gov. Kay Ivey has put federal funds in the hands of law enforcement in hopes of reducing illegal drug use in…
2018Policy and Activism
December 1, 2018

New degree could bring help in opioid crisis

The University of Alabama's decision to add a degree in addiction and recovery is a timely move, but also a reality check on the state's steep opioid abuse crisis.
2018Policy and Activism
November 4, 2018

Insurer cracking down on opioid prescriptions

Blue Cross Blue Shield's recent announcement that, effective Jan. 1, 2019, it no longer will cover standard formulations of the opioid painkiller OxyContin drew some attention.
2018Policy and Activism
October 28, 2018

A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster

When he was police chief of Stanwood, Wash., population 7,000, Ty Trenary thought rural communities like his were immune from the opioid crisis.
2018Policy and Activism
October 27, 2018

AP analysis: ‘Obamacare’ shapes opioid grant spending

With Republicans and Democrats joining forces again in a bipartisan effort to target the U.S. opioid crisis, an Associated Press analysis of the first wave of emergency money from Congress…
2018Policy and Activism
October 21, 2018

University of Alabama team wins $1 million grant to develop tool to combat opioid abuse

Across the country, opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels, severely affecting communities and straining public safety resources.
2018Policy and Activism
October 3, 2018

For Beating The Opioid Crisis, America Has Better Weapons Than Fentanyl Test Strips

The opioids crisis is affecting communities across the nation. The disease of opioid use disorder does not discriminate.
2018Policy and Activism
September 18, 2018

FDA takes important steps to encourage appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids through final approval of new safety measures governing the use of immediate-release opioid analgesic medications

Today’s action places immediate-release opioid analgesic drugs intended for use in an outpatient setting into agency’s Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy
2018Policy and Activism
August 27, 2018

Legislators tackle opioids

Alabama is at Ground Zero in the opioid overdose crisis — last year the state had the highest national number of opioid prescriptions, more than the state’s total population, according…

Treatment and Recovery Options

2019Treatment and Recovery Options
April 30, 2019

New Emergency Protocol Targets Opioid Addiction and Deaths

A new initiative from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Emergency Medicine is looking to approach the opioid epidemic in a holistic way.
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
March 15, 2019

Breaking The Cycle: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) In The Criminal Justice System

For persons with an opioid use disorder who are in the criminal justice system, the process of transitioning from jail or prison back to the community can be overwhelming.
2019Treatment and Recovery Options
February 6, 2019

Peer Support Specialists Care for and Connect Rural Behavioral Health Clients

Throughout the country, Peer Support Specialists are working to beat the feeling being along by connecting clients together.
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
September 30, 2018

Hypnosis could be key treatment for opioid addiction

As the nation struggles with a sweeping opioid epidemic, mental health experts say they have found a possible solution. It's a way to kick a painkiller habit before it even…
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
September 18, 2018

Using Telemedicine to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

HHS has developed materials to help clarify how clinicians can use telemedicine as a tool to expand buprenorphine-based MAT for opioid use disorder treatment.
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
July 12, 2018

Study reveals opioid patients face multiple barriers to treatment

In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a…
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
June 15, 2018

FDA Approves Generic Option for Opioid Dependence

The FDA has approved the first generic version of Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual film for the treatment of opioid dependence.
2018Treatment and Recovery Options
May 16, 2018

FDA approves the first non-opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt discontinuation of opioids in adults.