A new statewide initiative is providing Georgia public schools with naloxone (Narcan), the opioid overdose reversal medication. The kits will go out to over 2,300 schools across the state as Georgia continues to respond to the ongoing opioid epidemic and rising overdose risks tied to fentanyl exposure.

Georgia’s Continuing Opioid Crisis

The recent initiative is set to make these Narcan kits available in schools across the Peach State by the end of the academic school year. The Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities have teamed up in collaboration with funds from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. 

Bibb County, the county seat of Macon, has experienced a steady but significant increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2019 to 2023. According to information released from the Georgia Department of Public Health data, the county went from 11 overdose deaths in 2019 to 41 overdose deaths in 2023. 

Narcan in Georgia Schools

Naloxone can be a life-saving medication that reverses the effects of opioids and restores breathing during an overdose.

With Bibb County noting approximately 215 emergency room visits per 100,000 people due to drug overdose events, the district has made naloxone available in all schools. As synthetic opioids like fentanyl continue to drive overdose deaths, having Narcan available in public schools is a critical harm reduction measure.

Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, agreed that opioid overdose deaths are an alarming issue, with a 302% increase in these types of deaths between 2010 and 2022. 

He underscores that stark reality that the county school system has experienced both school employee and student deaths related to drug overdose. Some of these cases may involve students taking medication they believe to be over-the-counter headache remedies which are in fact laced with fentanyl. 

To help ensure the efficacy of these kits, school nurses and other staff members are trained in administering the medication. They also include prevention and recovery resources for youth who may be at risk of opioid exposure. 

The state of Georgia is being proactive to protect students, educators, families and communities in the face of the ongoing opioid epidemic. If you or a young person you love is experiencing opioid dependency, there is hope.

If you or a young person you love is struggling with opioid use, help is available. You can find a peer recovery support group, including Narcotics Anonymous meetings near you.

For help finding a treatment program that fits your needs, call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) today.

The opioid epidemic isn’t just claiming lives and shattering relationships among adults and families. The scourge of parental opioid abuse is also creating generational trauma among children growing up in a household impacted by substance abuse.

You’ve heard the statistics: Opioid addiction is killing thousands of Americans each year. In 2023, more than 79,000 adults overdosed on opioids and an estimated 8.5 million adults abused opioids. 

But that’s the stats for adults. What is often overlooked is the impact on their kids. The fact is, by 2017, more than 1.4 million children were living with a parent addicted to opioids. This experience has both immediate and long-term effects on the children.

The Enduring Impacts of Parental Opioid Abuse

Parental opioid abuse and addiction impact a family in two main areas: behaviors and relationships. Substance abuse and its consequences affect the child’s relationship with the parent, and they affect the child’s behavior—both now and later.

Regarding the relationship with the parent, researchers have found that opioid abuse can cause the following negative behaviors in the parent: 

• Is less involved in the child’s life
• Acts more threatening or critical toward the child
• Takes out hardships on the child
• Demonstrates lack of care for the child
• Doesn’t understand cues from the child
• Frequently asks friends or family members to care for the child

Regarding the impact on the child’s behavior and long-term well-being, parental opioid abuse has been found to cause:

• Traumatic childhood events
• Lack of functional resilience in life 

Functional resilience refers to the ability to work, handle stress, remain sober, stay out of trouble with the law, and generally have a healthy life. Researchers interviewed individuals whose parents were on a methadone maintenance plan during their childhood, and they found that 76% of the children did not meet the requirements for functional resilience as adults. Additionally, 70% had at least two adverse childhood experiences. 

Support and Recovery Can Break the Cycle

While some recovery facilities focus solely on the individual experiencing an opioid use disorder, many programs offer support for their kids, too.

Family recovery services, counseling for children, and family counseling are available. These services can help break the cycles of addiction and trauma and provide hope for the next generation. 

Find Help and Support Today

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid addiction, help is available. Recovery support, treatment programs, and NA meetings near you can provide guidance and hope for a healthier future.

Explore Narcotics Anonymous meetings in your area or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate support.

Breaking the cycle of generational trauma starts with reaching out.

A recent study from Pennsylvania State University reveals the significant risk college students face from opioids. Undergraduate researchers at the Lehigh Valley campus found that nearly a third of the campus’s students know of someone who’d suffered an opioid overdose. 

This study serves as yet another reminder of the stark reality that the average student experience either causes or amplifies numerous stressors that can lead to drug use.

The Dangerous Combination of College Students and Opioids

College life comes with a variety of unique academic and social challenges that often catch new students off guard. On the academic side, they have to adapt to their new learning environment’s standards, build new routines, and adopt new working and studying habits to be able to perform in class. 

Many students who develop substance addictions, and especially opioid addictions, already struggle with a mental health problem of some kind before starting their studies.

All this against the backdrop of worrying about future careers and financial stress. According to the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators, money concerns have caused 59% of students to consider dropping out. 

When all these stresses pile up, the related anxiety and depression make substance use a tempting means to self-medicate. But what begins as a way to find some temporary form of escape and relief soon becomes a more terrifying and dangerous prison of its own.

More Students Slipping Through the Cracks

Unfortunately, the high stress experienced in a university environment can also be a significant hurdle to breaking free from any addictions that take hold.

While 82.8% of students struggling with opioid use reported the need for mental health care, less than half actually received it, according to a study published in The Journal of Affective Disorders. 

For 26.2% of students, the reason they didn’t get help was simply that they didn’t know where to find it. Most tragically, for just under 12% of them, the reported reason was that they had no one to turn to during periods of increased emotional distress.

Using Education to Combat This Crisis

Thankfully, there are programs colleges can adopt to significantly reduce these trends. As an example, California State University, East Bay, has an office for Student Health and Counseling Services, which creates environments where students can open up and safely address their mental health concerns. 

Additionally, they have a Community Counseling Clinic, which offers counseling services to students, faculty, and community members. Beyond these kinds of measures, colleges should also leverage their core competencies to provide preventative addiction education.

Find Help Today

If you’re a college student and you need help, you have options. Recovery programs and support groups designed to address the unique needs of teens, young adults, and college students can be found across the United States. 

Explore NA Meetings in your area or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate support. Don’t let today’s troubles rob you of tomorrow’s promise.

A recent report from Kansas City, Missouri details the advent of a new addictive compound derived from Kratom that may signal the next wave of the opioid crisis.

The story focuses on Madison Mcmanness, a 25 year old Kansas City resident, who relayed details of her experience with 7-hydroxymitragynine (or 7-OH for short) against the backdrop of her history of substance use and recovery.

A Dependency That Rapidly Takes Hold

Madison had been through rehab in the past for an addiction to heroin and had been sober for six and a half years when her friend suggested 7-OH to help with anxiety. 

She describes the feeling of the first dose of this compound as akin to that of her first time using heroin. After this first dose wore off, she states that powerful physical cravings took hold, prompting daily use for six months.

Knowing how a compound that’s unregulated in many states has this type of effect is the key to understanding why it should be regulated. 7-OH is a potent, psychoactive compound that can be drawn out of the naturally occurring kratom leaf. On its own, 7-OH can have a very similar effect on the brain as opioids. 

For this reason, the FDA has been working to amend current regulations to reclassify kratom and kratom derivatives as Schedule 1 drugs. Even while kratom is regulated in the District of Columbia and 24 other states, it remains unregulated in Kansas and Missouri while their legislatures work on updating the current regulatory framework.

Madison’s Road to Recovery

Mcmanness’s dependency on this new drug progressed so far and so fast that she ended up spending $13,000 on the drug alone in those first six months. What was most surprising to her was that she ended up having to return to rehab for something that was legal in her state.

Detoxing from 7-OH was tough, described by Madison as feeling like everything was burning while she lay in the detox unit. She rounds out her account by saying that she doesn’t want herself or anyone else to go through it, and that this could be the next frontier of the opioid crisis.

Finding Help

As Madison’s story illustrates, a drug doesn’t have to be FDA-regulated to be addictive and unsafe. No matter the substance, if you’re physically dependent, the quality of your life is less than it could and should be. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Help is available and recovery is real. Find an NA meeting near you or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate support. 

Fentanyl overdose deaths have been bombarding us in the news for the past several years in seemingly every corner of the nation. While we are still reeling from these tragic events, there is another opioid wreaking havoc that is even more deadly: nitazenes.

According to a recent article in Rolling Stone, another class of opioids is taking an alarming toll. These synthetic products are called nitazenes and although they’ve been around for decades, they’ve only recently started to become ubiquitous on the streets..

The New Wave in the Opioid Crisis

Known also as a benzimidazole opioid, nitazenes began gaining steam in 2019 on the illegal drug market. It started in Europe and made its way into the United States. This growing threat has spread to 19 countries that we are aware of and shows no sign of stopping. 

If you’re curious as to how this is so much more dangerous than fentanyl, it’s because the potency is five to nine times stronger. 

To put it into a clearer context, Brian Townsend, a retired supervisory special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), says that less than 2mg, which is the size of a pencil tip of isotonitazene, the most common form of this opioid, can cause death. 

Untold Lives Lost

Currently, the number of deaths related to nitazenes is not completely transparent. The data isn’t available yet, but two studies have been done that likely underscore the impact of nitazenes. 

One study illustrated that it was at least partially responsible for 200 overdose deaths in Europe and North America from 2020 to 2021. The second study illustrated at least 93 deaths in 2022 from eight cases, mostly coming from the United States. 

These synthetic opioids were created around the same time as fentanyl, in the 1950s, as a medical alternative to the pain reliever, morphine. Since nitazenes were so potent and had a strong potential for overdose, they were never cleared for medical use, only for use in pharmacological research.

But now they’re surging onto America’s streets and infiltrating neighborhoods and communities from coast to coast. And their growing presence may well signal the next deadly wave in the opioid crisis.

If you’re struggling with opioid addiction, you don’t have to be another statistic. Recovery is real.

Find an NA meeting in your area or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored)  for help today.

Lorain County, Ohio has been hit hard by the opioid crisis but a new Narcan distribution program is seeking to change that, reports say. Volunteers are quietly dispersing to neighborhoods and communities throughout the county to hand out overdose reversal kits free of charge.

Fighting Stigmas, Saving Lives

Natalie Karn, a community health nursing supervisor from Lorain County Public Health, recently shed light on Lorain County’s naloxone distribution outreaches. 

Groups of volunteers in purple shirts have been going door to door throughout the autumn, enthusiastically asking residents in Ohio’s neighborhoods whether they would like to add Narcan (naloxone’s brand name) to their first aid kits. While some residents are reluctant, many are inquisitive and open, some even asking for extra doses to prepare to help their neighbors.

Narcan is a medication with the ability to help save the life of someone who has suffered an opioid overdose. The naloxone distribution program is part of Ohio’s Project DAWN. Named after Leslie Dawn Cooper, an Ohio woman who lost her life to an accidental overdose in 2009.

Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Narcan) is a statewide initiative to make Narcan as accessible as possible to all Ohioans. 

Proponents say the program is also making positive social impacts, as more residents report a willingness to have Narcan ready to use, even to save the lives of complete strangers. Part of what’s driving this shift in the public’s attitude toward naloxone is the compounding effect of more testimonies of ordinary folks using the medication to save lives.

Project DAWN’s Impact in Lorain County

In 2012, Lorain County became the first of the 83 Ohio counties to adopt the program, and has since made it possible for residents to get Narcan from police officers, churches, apartment buildings, and now, on delivery. 

This initiative has shown massive success in the county, with the official count of lives saved by ordinary residents being over 600.

The county has seen a remarkable 55% decline in overdose deaths over a three year period, far in excess of Ohio’s average decline of 17%. Officials say that the lower statewide rate of decline may stem from relatively slow progress in making the lifesaving drug more accessible in rural counties.

Potential Hindrances to Project DAWN

Unfortunately, not everyone has disabused themselves of the stigma towards Narcan and addiction more broadly. Restrictions on naloxone access and distribution remain in effect in some parts of the state.

In some areas, this includes prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying Narcan and banning the medication’s presence at public libraries, a common point of access throughout the US. 

These factors, combined with a potential $3 million cut looming for Ohio’s harm reduction budget, are some of the obstacles Project DAWN currently faces.

Narcan’s Place in the Recovery Process

Despite the challenges, Karn and her team are pressing on with the program. They now have 77 distribution partners in Lorain County, including Family Planning Services, where a free harm reduction vending machine now dispenses Narcan. 

As a part of the campaign, the team is also emphasizing that Narcan is an emergency medication that’s meant to save a person’s life if they overdose. Further recovery requires comprehensive treatment as well as systemic changes in a person’s life to support their physical, emotional, social and financial wellbeing.

Take the First Step

If you’re looking to break free of the grasp of opioid addiction, there is hope. Find a qualified addiction recovery specialist, connect with NA meetings near you or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate confidential support.

The crisis of teen fentanyl use is unfortunately nothing new. During the pandemic, adolescent overdose events more than doubled. But the fight to save kids’ lives and their futures is expanding and America’s public schools are leading the way. 

Confronting Teen Fentanyl Use 

Although the number of youth ages 12 to 17 with a past-year substance use disorder decreased in the years between 2021 and 2024, the percentage of those with opioid use disorder remained steady during the same time. Fewer than a third of these young people report getting treatment. 

To combat this, many schools are utilizing protocols to address the looming fentanyl crisis. Additionally, 7 out of 10 adolescents mentioned that they received substance use disorder and prevention education at their school.

Further, over 480,000 students received treatment for substance abuse at their schools in 2023. This data illustrates how the education system can play a pivotal role in providing treatment. 

Reading, Writing, and Recovery

The fight against teen opioid addiction isn’t just taking place in homes, communities, and healthcare clinics. Now more than ever addiction prevention and recovery are being incorporated in the curricula of America’s schools. Public schools are playing a key role in mitigating drug overdose risks, particularly those related to fentanyl. 

Among the public schools providing addiction education during the 2024-2025 school year, almost 3 out of 4 administrators mentioned that some or all their staff were trained in recognizing an overdose situation. 

Of these, 30% declared all teachers at their schools were trained, and 44% reported that some of the staff had training. Still, 16% reported that no staff members were trained, showing there is still work to be done. 

Preventing Opioid Overdose in Schools 

Much of the fentanyl education is in classroom settings, so administrators must understand how crucial it is for staff members to receive overdose training. Several states even allow schools to store naloxone to intercept an opioid overdose; however, not all school districts are on board. 

The growing number of schools taking a stand shows how data can change the overdose landscape. The hope is that more will follow and the overdose rates among young people will continue to decline.

Get Help for Teen Opioid or Fentanyl Addiction

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid addiction, help is available.

Explore Narcotics Anonymous meetings near you or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to connect with a qualified treatment provider. Low cost and accessible support is availbe through NA and local recovery programs.

Charleston County Public Schools has just received $500K in opioid recovery grants to mitigate the impact of the addiction crisis on the district’s students. The funds were awarded by The Public School Districts’ Opioid Recovery Trust (PSDORT) and will be used to support opioid addiction education and prevention in district schools. 

Charleston County is one of 39 public school districts nationwide to receive the award, according to reports. 

The Impact of Opioids on Charleston County Students

The effects of the opioid crisis reach far and wide. It’s not just something dealt with in counseling sessions or addiction treatment centers. While most people understand opioid use affects life at home, what most of us never see is the impact on children at school. 

Children in Charleston County who are victims of the opioid crisis will be getting more support thanks to the nearly half million dollar grant. More than 200 school districts across the country applied for funding, but fewer than 40 received grants. It’s a big win for Charleston County students and the entire state of South Carolina.

Expanding Substance Use Prevention Efforts

The current substance use prevention programs will get a makeover, including updated classroom materials and teacher training. Teachers will attend opioid crisis specific training to learn how to work with students who are impacted by addiction, including those who have experienced drug use within the home or family. 

Students at every grade level are at risk and the expanded programs will include even more grade appropriate activities and resources. There’s nothing like real life stories to inspire learning and guest speakers will be invited to talk about their personal recovery experiences. 

Focused Care for Vulnerable Learners

You’ve seen the news stories but you likely don’t realize that behind every opioid crisis statistic is a child trying to find their footing. Children are the most vulnerable victims of this crisis, with many losing family members. It’s not uncommon for these kids to also experience gaps in school attendance. 

PSDORT grant money will go toward helping students who are trying to deal with not only the loss of a parent or loved one, but loss of learning. Funding of special education services for children affected by neonatal opioid exposure is also planned, ensuring care for students with the greatest needs. 

Improved Mental Health Awareness

The trauma and stigma linked to opioid use have created a growing need for mental health support in schools. Charleston County students will benefit from expanded access to these services through grant funding with a focus on reducing stigma, and support for healing through trauma informed programs. 

Efforts will focus on the overall well being of every student, recognizing that health and growth are closely tied to the family and community. That’s why parents and community members will be invited to participate. 

Where Schools and Community Meet

In the spirit of shared commitment, Charleston County schools will continue collaborating with two of their largest supporters: Medical University of South Carolina and Wake Up Carolina. Funds will also go toward creating new community partnerships. 

If you or someone you care about is struggling with opioid use, local help is available. Find a Narcotics Anonymous meeting near you or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) today.

If you think the opioid epidemic is only a problem for younger generations, think again. Adults 65 and older are facing growing risks as senior opioid overdose deaths continue to rise. According to a recent study, fatal overdoses among seniors increased by 9% in just the last eight years. The majority of fatalities stemmed from the dangerous cocktail of fentanyl combined with stimulants.

The research was presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY annual meeting and used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seniors are frequently overlooked when it comes to opioid studies and yet they’re part of the rising surge of drug overdoses taking lives across the nation. 

Why Seniors Are at Higher Risk

Why are these groups more vulnerable to opioid overdose events? One reason is that many of them may already have chronic health conditions that affect them. The epidemic has happened in stages, with the beginning being prescription medications in the 1990s. Then came heroin, fentanyl, and now, fentanyl mixed with stimulants such as cocaine. This fourth phase is where older adults have been impacted most. 

Over 400,000 death certificates were analyzed between 2013 and 2023 for the study. All of them listed fentanyl as the cause of death. The rise in fentanyl related overdoses among seniors seemed to start in 2015 and saw a noticeable spike in 2020.

How to Prevent Senior Opioid Overdoses

The study illustrates many findings, including the incidence of drug sharing among older adults, the need for improved patient monitoring when prescribing opioids, adjusting perioperative planning for this age group, and using clear labeling practices. 

Although the trends are daunting, there are still steps within our control that may help decrease the chances of these occurrences. Knowing this group is also vulnerable can shine a light on the need for education and proper maintenance for prescriptions. One of the goals is to minimize the use of this drug as a pain control method and to look for safer ways to treat older adults. 

If you or a senior you love is struggling with opioid addiction, support is available.

Find local Narcotics Anonymous meetings or senior focused recovery programs in your area or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate assistance. 

Recent data from FAIR Health’s Opioid Tracker revealed how the opioid crisis has affected the nation, particularly in the South. Arkansas opioid addiction rates were the fourth highest in the U.S between 2021 and 2024. Tennessee ranked first in the nation with 1,147 cases. West Virginia and Kentucky followed. 

Arkansas Opioid Addiction Rates Spike After COVID-19

The number of national opioid use disorder cases soared almost 40% between 2021 and 2024. The U.S saw a 39.8% increase from 386 instances per 100,000 to 539 per 100,000. 

In 2024 the number of residents battling opioid addiction in Arkansas was over twice the national average. With a rate of 1218 diagnoses per 100,000 Arkansans. An estimated 51% of those diagnosed were women. 

The majority of persons diagnosed with OUD were between the ages of 31 and 50.

These findings highlight the crucial need for assisting those in need of addiction treatment services. They also show how the opioid crisis has infiltrated communities across the U.S., regardless of income level and demographics. 

The Role of Telehealth in Arkansas Opioid Treatment

Data also highlighted shifts in settings where professionals treat opioid use disorder. Telehealth services increased from 4.3% in 2021 to 6.3% in 2024. The number of in office treatment claims decreased from 43.8% in 2021 to 38.6% in 2024. Care in outpatient facilities also increased from 1% to 9% between 2021 and 2024.

These shifts show how technology and new care models are helping more people safely begin recovery and manage withdrawal symptoms remotely.

Arkansas Invests in Fighting Opioid Addiction

Arkansas is taking steps to remedy the devastating effects of the opioid crisis after receiving millions in vaping and opioid settlement funds. Attorney General Tim Griffin plans to fund “one pill can kill” campaigns across Arkansas college campuses. 

The Arkansas Children’s Hospital also announced the building of a new $75 million research center in Little Rock this summer. This facility will be dedicated to studying the impact of opioid addiction on parents and children.

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid dependency, help is available. Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) today or explore NA meetings to connect with people who understand what you’re going through and can support your recovery journey.