The number of people who have died due to opioid overdoses have dropped since the emergency began back in 2017. In part., we can thank programs like inpatient care and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters. A new analysis also documents fewer opioid prescriptions from retail pharmacies.

Treatment & Prescribing Trends

The Health Affairs Forefront analysis examined pharmacies from March 2015 through March 2026. Indeed, opioid prescriptions dispensed fell to 45.3% of their March 2015 level, while total opioid dosage dispensed fell to 35.2% of the baseline.

The number of patients receiving prescription opioids via pharmacies fell to 49.6% of the baseline while orders for medications to combat addictions jumped 218%. However, the data doesn’t detail any of the patients’ plans.

Buprenorphine can reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors and is used for opioid or alcohol use disorders after appropriate clinical screening.

Number Crunching the Stats

Opioid deaths have fallen for a while and have now hit the lowest point since 2017, the crisis’s start date. That’s a great starting point and shows that many programs on the national and local level have worked. Community responses like Narcotics Anonymous have done their part in encouraging folks to open up and battle stigmas while supporting their families.

Naloxone & More

Just because numbers have fallen doesn’t mean people aren’t at risk of an overdose. Drugs like fentanyl still kill. Naloxone/Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose for a short time while you summon emergency help immediately.

Medications and peer support also help many people either together or on their own. Narcotics Anonymous groups are more than just a place to hang out with neighbors and talk about their experiences and share stories. The mentorship extends to your family and all are always welcomed. And don’t forget that all NA chapters are free when it comes to enrolling.

Sometimes, people might be nervous about attending or not sure where to look when it comes to finding a chapter in their neighborhood. That’s okay. That’s where our directory comes in. Browse today to find a local NA group in your town by state and city.

Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to chat with an expert and explore local options.

A series of deadly overdoses hit Virginia Beach, where an estimated seven spikes from June through August each involved at least three deaths within the same 24-hour period. Health providers now warn folks to seek medical care immediately after an overdose.

To be sure, Virginia already has programs to handle addictions, including local Narcotics Anonymous chapters in local communities. Still, 21 have died and officials worry the spikes might mean an end to the overdose death rates decline in recent years.

Potential Changes

Laura Toombs is a medical director for BrightView Health. They provide addiction treatment and recovery services at several Hampton Roads locations. Toombs thinks the drug supply changed during the summer.

She pointed to a change in fentanyl potency or a change in the drugs mixed with it. A contaminated or unusually dangerous batch of cocaine or fentanyl can play a role.

Narcan Helps

Toombs credited Narcan/naloxone with helping folks survive opioid overdoses despite the spikes. The first dose might not work but a second might do the trick and help the victim recover.

Naloxone also saved her husband’s life. Jarratt started heroin at 21 and later moved on to multiple drugs. Treatment recently helped him discuss sexual abuse he had repressed for about 25 years. Being able to tell someone without embarrassment or shame became part of his recovery.

The couple recently celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary, and Jarratt credited Laura with believing in him when he didn’t believe in himself.

Treatment After an Overdose

Surviving an overdose creates an immediate opportunity to find care. Michele LaFemina, clinical director for Pathways Treatment Center, noted the hours after naloxone reverses an overdose are especially important. Withdrawal can be at its worst during those hours and people may be likely to use drugs again.

LaFemina urges for treatment at the scene rather than a delay. That guidance connects emergency response with opioid addiction treatment. Follow-up care can address withdrawal, cravings and ongoing needs.

Fentanyl test strips can determine whether a substance contains fentanyl. Test strips and naloxone provide different forms of protection. Test strips identify fentanyl before use, while naloxone is used after an overdose.

Making Economic Sense

Each dollar invested in lifesaving opioid care produced $14 to $20 in community economic benefits. Statewide, additional opioid care funding was associated with a $1.3 billion reduction in costs.

Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News were in the highest cost bracket among seven cities examined. Their estimated opioid-related costs ranged from $385-$1,144 per resident in 2024.

NA Battles Opioid Addiction

People can search our online directory for NA meetings, opioid treatment programs and information about naloxone and fentanyl. 

Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to discuss opioid addiction treatment options alongside an expert.

Veteran spouses might have opioid addictions after years of managing health problems that come alongside military family life. Recovery involves affordable treatment, support for the marriage, connections with other spouses through Narcotics Anonymous and other support groups and a plan for life after rehab.

A personal experience shows how it happens. Cecelia “Cece” Grover is the spouse of a retired Army sergeant first class. She relayed how military support made it financially possible for her to enter detox and residential treatment after years of addiction to pain medication. She’s been clean for five years.

Prescription Opioid Addiction in Military Families

Grover developed addiction after complications from endometriosis and emergency surgeries during her family’s overseas assignments. Prescription opioids relieve pain, but prolonged use eventually led to addiction.

Military spouses also have to deal with frequent moves, deployments and long periods of responsibility at home. A new duty station disrupts clinical relationships and makes benefit checks and record transfers easy to skip.

Military Support Reduces Barriers

Grover’s family couldn’t have paid for rehab without military support. 

Spouses should verify their own eligibility. A military treatment facility, TRICARE rep or veterans service organization can help families ask about detox, residential and outpatient care, medication and counseling. Coverage and access can differ with each person.

Spouse Networks

Grover described the value of meeting other spouses during deployments. She recalled connecting with a high school acquaintance while both of their husbands were preparing to deploy and those relationships helped her manage fear and uncertainty.

That kind of peer connection allows spouses to discuss addiction without being judged, practical help attending appointments and support while rebuilding trust at home. Family programs can address communication and boundaries, while mutual-support groups offer connection with others who understand substance use and recovery.

Naloxone remains vital to reverse opioid overdoses. Remember that emergency medical help is still necessary. Families should learn overdose signs, including slow or absent breathing and unresponsiveness and keep naloxone accessible.

Narcotics Anonymous meetings are free and available in person and online. NA complements detox, medication-assisted treatment and professional counseling. 

NA a Top Tier Option

Sometimes, we just need an extra shoulder to lean on when times get rough. Our browsable directory features NA chapters anywhere in the country where you can find camaraderie and fellowship. 

You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for local treatment resources alongside an expert.

Georgia’s overdose prevention effort got a shot in the arm. Researchers at Augusta University’s School of Public Health received a three-year, $2.5 million grant from the SAMHSA to improve overdose prevention in communities across the state.

Funds arrive as opioid overdose deaths remain a leading cause of preventable death and where rural counties have the fewest treatment options. Even though the state has many programs and even local Narcotics Anonymous chapters dedicated to fighting addictions, too many have died. Indeed, the university’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health focuses on high-risk areas that are historically underserved.

Dr. Aaron Johnson is associate dean for research and community engagement at the School of Public Health, laid out the reach of the project. In Augusta, Serenity Behavioral Health serves as a partner. The team identified three other high-risk regions covering six counties in northwest Georgia, six counties in south central and four counties in the southeast.

That layout covers the state. After all, overdose prevention works best when local trusted organizations deliver services.

Rural Counties Need Help

The grant announcement took place during the state-sponsored Georgia Recovers in Communities bus tour. The tour stops in 60 communities to highlight effective recovery work and connect the organizations doing it.

Medications can save the most lives. Naloxone distribution, prescriptions and telehealth treatment all play roles when there’s no formal care. The grant positions local providers to deliver those services instead of waiting for people in crisis to find their way to Augusta or Atlanta.

Recovery Is Possible & the Community Makes It So

“Today was really about spreading the message that addiction is a disease, recovery is possible and there is support available,” noted Katherine Covington. She’s the School of Public Health research operations manager who organized the Augusta stop.

Brian Kite agreed. He’s the recovery community organization program manager for the Georgia Council for Recovery. Kite relayed he was incarcerated more than 12 times and had been through treatment multiple times before the right combination of support changed his trajectory. He’s now approaching 12 years in recovery and is a full-time father to his 12-year-old son.

Kite credited a network from all corners. “The faith community, treatment providers, law enforcement, and the Department of Community Supervision all gave me opportunities to seek the support that I needed.” His message was simple, drawn from his grandfather’s visit to him in jail. “I don’t know what to do, but I love you.” Letting people know they’re loved and not alone is where recovery starts.

Help in The Peach State & Beyond

This grant is a reason for Georgians to reach out now rather than wait. Peer support deserves special attention. People who have lived through addiction themselves, like Kite, consistently show up in recovery stories as the difference between another relapse and a turning point.

That’s where Narcotics Anonymous comes in. Each chapter is locally based and comes at no cost to members. However, the camaraderie lasts their entire lives.

Getting started is as simple as browsing our directory for a group in any neighborhood in the USA. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert.

A new $3 million federal grant will put opioid overdose reversal training into more hands across two of Texas’s largest counties. The University of Houston will use the four-year grant from SAMHSA to expand FRONTLINES, a Houston-based program that trains first responders in Harris and Fort Bend counties to recognize an opioid overdose and administer naloxone.

The expansion is the apex of eight years of work. Even though Texas features programs to battle opioids and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters are effective, too many people still die. In 2024, 450 Harris County residents died of overdoses with fentanyl involved in 3/4 of those fatalities.

The Opioid Crisis in The Longhorn State

Nationally, more than 40,000 Americans died from overdoses involving opioids in 2025. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid much deadlier than heroin, now contaminates much of the street drug supply, including counterfeit pills, which means people who don’t consider themselves opioid users still face opioid overdose risks.

FRONTLINES co-founder Dr. James Bray of UH’s Fertitta Family College of Medicine stressed the importance.

How FRONTLINES Works

FRONTLINES launched in 2018 as a collaboration between the university, city officials, the Fertitta College of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Recovery Center. 

The program trains first responders to spot the signs of an opioid overdose and respond with naloxone, the medication that displaces opioids from receptors in the brain and restores breathing.

Harm reduction training will go to UH medical, social work and psychology students and other community members. It’ll extend lifesaving skills beyond first responder agencies and into neighborhoods. Train-the-trainer models like this multiply the reach of each dollar, since every student who learns to teach naloxone use can instruct many others.

Harm Reduction & Treatment

Naloxone keeps people alive so recovery stays possible.

For people ready to address opioid addiction itself, medications including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are FDA-approved and proven to cut overdose deaths.

NA Still a Top Option

No matter which option you choose, one consistent element has always been NA. Narcotics Anonymous meetings offer free peer support in any local community in the USA. 

To find NA meetings in any of the 50 states, search our meeting directory. For help exploring opioid treatment programs, call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) .

A new type of painkiller could one day deliver morphine-level relief without opioid addiction. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Weill Cornell Medicine built an experimental opioid compound that’s switched on and off with light. Doing so activates pain relief while keeping the drug out of the brain.

The findings are preclinical. But they address how the same aspects that make opioids effectively also drive tolerance, dependence and fatal breathing suppression.

Light Activated Opioid Works

The team was led by Penn chemist and pharmacologist Dirk Trauner and Dr. Joshua Levitz at Weill Cornell Medicine. They engineered a morphine-based compound called AM-3. AM-3 changes shape when exposed to specific frequencies of light. Different lights don’t have the same effect on the mu-opioid receptor, the primary target of opioid painkillers.

In preclinical pain models for bone cancer pain and visceral pain, the researchers injected AM-3 and briefly illuminated the pain site with UV light. The result was morphine-like pain relief with reduced or no signs of tolerance or other side effects. AM-3 doesn’t easily impact the brain, which limits the chance of addiction and respiratory suppression.

The current version uses ultraviolet light that hurts skin and eyes. Trauner is working on newer molecules that respond to visible light, ideally red light, to penetrate tissue more deeply.

Shining a Light on Opioids

Opioids are a class of drugs that includes prescriptions and street drugs. Regular use can lead to physical dependence within weeks, and opioid addiction can develop even when a medication is taken as prescribed. Risk rises with dose, duration and any history of a substance use disorder.

The stakes are easy to state. More than 40,000 Americans died from overdoses involving opioids last year. Most deaths come from fentanyl and is often mixed in counterfeit pills and other drugs without the user’s knowledge.

Regular opioids like codeine and fentanyl activate mu-opioid receptors in the brain, spinal column, peripheral nerves and gut. Doing so produces relief but can lead to chronic opioid abuse and accidental overdoses. 

A compound that works only where light is applied would separate the benefit from the harm for the first time.

More Harm Reduction

Photopharmacology might take years to develop. Fortunately, you can find help right now.

• Naloxone reverses opioid overdoses and is available without a prescription in most states. 
• Medications for opioid use disorder cut overdose deaths and help folks stay in recovery. 
• And NA meetings remain open to anyone with a desire to quit drugs.

NA Shines Through

NA chapters are local, free and made up of your peers. You can find a shoulder to lean on and share experiences if you want to talk. The fellowship can last a lifetime.

Getting started with NA is simpler with our directory. Browse our listings online to find a group in any city in the USA. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to chat with an expert.

The language around medication for addiction treatment keeps evolving, and a new educational resource from Everwell Recovery clears up the confusion. The Mission Viejo provider has published a guide explaining the difference between medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, and medications for opioid use disorder, or MOUD. 

To be clear, states like California offer a wealth of treatment options beyond MAT. Inpatient care and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters offer assistance in any local community. However, MOUD and MAT are the two terms patients and families encounter constantly when evaluating treatment options.

The Terminology Matters

MAT is the older term describing the combination of FDA-approved medications with counseling and behavioral therapies for substance use disorders. 

MOUD narrowly refers to meds used to treat opioid use disorder. SAMHSA identifies methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone to treat opioid addictions. A separate term for alcohol use disorder, or MAUD, include acamprosate, disulfiram and naltrexone.

SAMHSA notes that medication treatment in general is commonly referred to as MAT or MOUD. Everwell’s resource keeps the MAT terminology for familiarity while explaining MOUD as the more precise description for opioid-focused medication treatment.

Evidence Reports

The National Institute on Drug Abuse identifies medication as a standard for opioid use disorder and reports that approved medications can reduce opioid use, help folks remain in treatment and lower the risk of overdose death. Medication selection and duration should always be determined through professional assessment, patient preferences, medical history and treatment response.

Everwell Recovery’s published MOUD info describes the use of buprenorphine and naltrexone when clinically appropriate, with acamprosate available for liquor. Prescriptions are provided alongside counseling and behavioral care rather than as stand-alone approaches.

Comparing Programs

Patients comparing residential or inpatient drug rehab programs know that MOUD is an important clinical consideration. The appropriate medication, setting and length of treatment depend on individual assessment and not standardized protocols. Patients may need further care after residential treatment ends.

NA Still a Viable Option

In addition to MOUD or MAT, peer support offers a human touch of fellowship when times get rough. Narcotics Anonymous is free to join and the peers are often neighbors who stay with you through thick and thin.

Getting started is simple. Browse our directory to find a local NA chapter. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to explore options with an expert.

The chief forensic chemist for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office has filed a report that says fentanyl appears in almost all overdose cases. In fact, it’s often mixed into drugs without anyone knowing. His county lost 115 people to drug overdoses in 2024.

Let’s be clear. South Carolina features many programs to battle addictions, including local Narcotics Anonymous chapters. But fentanyl is embedded itself in the drug supply in Spartanburg and an overdose can easily happen to anyone.

The Opioid Crisis in South Carolina

Jacob Jackson is the county’s chief chemist and relayed how overdose cases are “almost always in tandem with fentanyl.” His observations mirror the county’s death toll.

The Spartanburg County Coroner reported 191 drug overdose deaths in 2023 with a majority tied to fentanyl. Indeed, statewide, fentanyl was involved in 914 of South Carolina’s 1,481 drug overdose deaths that year.

The county has seen swings before. It investigated almost 100 fentanyl cases in 2020, a number that tripled by 2021.

Fentanyl Hides in Other Drugs

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid manufactured for medical use and for the illicit drug supply. A fentanyl overdose happens when the drug suppresses breathing and risk rises when fentanyl is mixed into an unknown substance. 

Fentanyl powder can adhere to other pills, methamphetamine and cocaine. A bag of stimulants or a counterfeit prescription pill can carry fentanyl with no visible sign. A person who believes they’re taking a familiar substance has no idea an opioid is present.

Harm Reduction and Treatment in Spartanburg

Accordingly, the county has built its response. A medication-assisted treatment and re-entry program launched at the county detention center in October 2024 has provided life-saving medications to more than 700 individuals. 

In addition, the South Carolina Department of Public Health distributes free Opioid Overdose Safety Kits containing two doses of naloxone, fentanyl and xylazine test strips and overdose-response guidance. Residents can contact their local health department to check availability.

Battling Addiction Through NA

Narcotic addiction remains treatable. Free peer support can lead the way. NA meetings in Spartanburg and all throughout the country offer no-cost, anonymous support from people who understand opioid addiction firsthand. 

Get started with NA with our searchable directory. We feature meetings for all 50 states, filtered by location and format.

Also, call [NUMBER] for opioid addiction treatment options alongside an expert.

A harm reduction vending machine in Reading dispensed 870 fentanyl test strips and 686 doses of naloxone in its first 15 months of operation. Pennsylvania officials have expanded opioid reversal programs throughout the state to supplement treatment programs and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters, but too many people still fall through the cracks.

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine tracked the machine and interviewed its users. Their findings say as much about poverty and access as they do about overdose prevention in Pennsylvania.

The machine also handed out 2,347 hygiene kits, 1,166 wound care kits, 983 menstrual kits, and 626 safer sex kits between May 2024 and August 2025. The study found that basic needs items were the most requested products.

The Opioid Crisis in the USA

Overdose deaths in the United States have dropped since 2024. Researchers credit substance use programming and the wider distribution of overdose prevention tools for the decline. This is where the machine comes in with testing strips for fentanyl, xylazine and more.

Access remains uneven, however. In 2025, only 35 states plus D.C. have vending machines. Early evaluations tied statistically significant drops in fatal overdoses to machines in Nevada, while one in Ohio drew in folks who had never before used harm reduction services.

The Machine in The Keystone State

Reading is a city of about 95,000 people where one third live below the poverty line. A community advisory board of healthcare providers, public health professionals and people with lived experience of addiction knew that drug addiction was a way of life for some residents. So they chose to place it in the entrance lobby of a community organization that’s staffed 24/7.

Users register with an anonymous username made of a color, an animal or nature icon and a birth year.  They can get supplies capped at two per day, with wound care and hygiene kits limited to one per week because of demand. Naloxone was the exception.

Drug testing strip buyers can watch an instructional video on the machine’s touch screen. The screen also lists local treatment providers, housing assistance and food pantries.

Serving the Community

The machine logged 1,247 registrations and dispensed 6,544 items. When asked to rate their overall experience up to 10 weeks, over 70% of returning users called it excellent. Convenience and free items were the top reasons. And discretion was a major selling point.

Of 1,174 registered clients who obtained items, 21.3% returned at least once and 3.9% visited more than 10 times. About 80% of the study’s qualitative participants had received naloxone or fentanyl testing strips from the machine and 70% got both.

Some setbacks occurred. Some folks noticed that items were out of stock while others didn’t know that the machine offered a directory of local services. Some people also registered multiple times in hopes of getting around the limits.

Hygiene Kits Matter in Overdose Prevention

Interestingly, clients asked for food, gloves, hats, and razors more than any harm reduction item. 

In interviews, naloxone and fentanyl test strips were often picked up alongside hygiene supplies, which means the machine reaches people who don’t go to syringe services. One focus group participant relayed, “I think the fact that these items are available for free is just phenomenal. People can safeguard themselves, and that makes a difference.”

Harm Reduction and Treatment

Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication. Anyone who uses opioids or knows someone who does can carry it without a prescription. Fentanyl test strips detect the presence of fentanyl in a drug supply, and strips for xylazine, an animal sedative increasingly found in the opioid supply, are also available in some places. These tools don’t treat opioid addiction, but keep people alive to reach treatment.

Medication-assisted treatment can help with withdrawal and peer support through NA meetings sustains recovery.

NA Supplements Prevention & Recovery

Like the vending machine supplies, NA is free and open to all. One bonus is that it’s human-based. You form fellowship with colleagues that last a lifetime, whether that’s through a formal sponsor or a simple shoulder to lean on when times get tough.

Getting started with NA is made simpler with our browsable directory, which houses chapters in every state. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert and explore local options.

Up to72 hours of methadone can help folks survive the days between committing to recovery and before getting medication. The gap in retention are often the deadliest days in terms of overdose risks, but a federal rule can narrow that gap.

A study led by Sarah Rosenwohl-Mack of UC San Francisco followed every patient who received methadone under the federal three-day rule at San Francisco’s General Hospital Bridge Clinic between June 2024-July 2025.

Of 166 unique patients, 63%, 104 people, enrolled in an opioid treatment program within a week. Of those, 62% were still in treatment after 30 days. The researchers found no methadone-related emergency visits, hospitalizations or deaths within 30 days of the first dose.

Even though California and the other states have impressive inpatient care and even small, local Narcotics Anonymous chapters, people still fall through the gaps. Properly administered methadone saves people.

A Three-Day Window

Methadone is an effective addiction medicine. It has helped cut mortality rates in the city among folks who stay in treatment. But getting methadone can be challenging because programs have long waiting lists and limited hours. A person who shows up in withdrawal on a Friday afternoon can face days of waiting, leaving them at risk of overdose.

 

The catch is three days maximum, no renewal within the same month and a history of safety concerns that kept most clinics from trying it in the first place.

The Handoff Is Everything

The study also noted where patients came from. Those referred by the opioid treatment program co-located in the same hospital had 3.1-fold higher odds of remaining in treatment at 30 days. A referred patient arrives with a clinical relationship already established under one plan, while a walk-in needs to enroll once the three-day window closes.

Safety data were equally clean. Urine screens, emergency department surveillance, and medical examiner reports surfaced no methadone-related harms within 30 days. The one notable failure was administrative as one patient turned out to already be enrolled in methadone treatment elsewhere. Thus, clinics must check existing enrollment before dosing. 

The San Francisco protocol was adapted from Boston Medical Center’s Faster Paths model and starts with conservative doses while referral staff work in parallel to secure a permanent appointment.

Safer Options While Waitlists Persist

People using opioids can find harm reduction methods like these: 

• Naloxone reverses overdoses and is available through community programs. 

• Fentanyl test strips reveal contamination in the street trade. 

• And Narcotics Anonymous meetings offer peer support that complements medications.

• Medication-assisted treatment through local opioid treatment programs with buprenorphine prescribers as an alternative.

You don’t have to navigate the intake maze alone. Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to talk through opioid addiction treatment options. 

You can also find peer support for fellowship and shared experiences through NA chapters in your neighborhood. Simply browse our free directory to get started.