Content created by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA)
As the overdose crisis continues to change, we must take a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to prevent overdoses and save lives.
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A free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
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The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
Prevention
Prevention is critical to reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. Tiered, multidisciplinary prevention activities engage health and human services providers directly and facilitate cross-sector collaboration on prevention. Current federal activities support prevention by expanding research of new and improved prevention efforts, investing in community resources, increasing access to high-quality pain management, and promoting responsible prescription of medications to protect patient safety.
Surveillance for Overdose and Substance Use Related Harms
This program focuses on understanding the changing nature of the drug overdose crisis by integrating data and prevention strategies.
Clinical Research in Pain Management
This research can help establish evidence-based guidelines for safe and effective pain management with non-opioid therapies.
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Drugs with Abuse Potential
These evidence-based guidelines help clinicians support the safe use of opioids and other medications with abuse potential.
Evidence-based treatment
Evidence-based treatments for substance use disorder can reduce substance use, related health harms (for example, infectious disease transmission), and overdose deaths. High-quality treatment can also increase social functioning. Current federal activities advance evidence-based treatment by making treatment easy to get, delivering healthcare and support services in a seamless and coordinated way, and implementing new and improved models of care that appeal to and help those who need them.
Clinical Trials Network
This network is a cooperative effort between medical providers, researchers, patients, and the government to deliver new treatment options.
Substance Use and Mental Health Block Grants
These grants fund the planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities that prevent and treat substance use and promote public health.
Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model
This model promotes care coordination and integrated approach for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder.
Recovery support
Strengthening the recovery support services workforce is essential to promoting access and quality. Current federal activities improve recovery support by increasing the quality of services, supporting the recovery workforce, and expanding access to effective recovery support services.
Workplace Supported Recovery
Two-thirds of adults with substance use disorders (SUDs) have jobs. according to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
HEALing Communities Study
The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) was the largest addiction prevention and treatment implementation study ever conducted.
Facts about the overdose crisis
Although overdose deaths involving prescription opioids and heroin have decreased, the crisis has worsened overall. Synthetic opioids, like illicitly manufactured fentanyl, and the use of other substances, like stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, and the use of multiple drugs in combination, have led to significant increases in overdose deaths.
High number of overdose deaths
Drug overdose deaths reached 107,941 in 2022 – the highest number ever recorded.
High rates in tribal communities
Non-Hispanic American Indians or Alaska Natives have had the highest drug overdose death rate than any other racial or ethnic group (65 per 100,000 in 2022).
Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 2024