Recent News

One World Recovery Network, in collaboration with SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery, launched the new Center for Addiction Recovery Support (CARS) on January 6, 2025! CARS provides tailored training, technical assistance (TA), and resources to advance and strengthen the nation’s recovery support services.  A dedicated team at UW–Madison has been selected to serve as a supporting organization […]

Burnout has an impact on work culture. Behavioral healthcare professionals may face higher risks of burnout compared to other professions. This blog post will discuss factors that may contribute to burnout in substance use and mental health treatment service providers and strategies to manage burnout in the workplace. Burnout is observed in service-oriented vocations and […]

Working in mental health and recovery can be incredibly rewarding but also emotionally difficult. In their work, providers often deal with structural obstacles, stressful circumstances, and emotional burdens that can impact their personal and professional well-being. These aspects of clinical practice can result in the behavioral health workforce experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, and/or moral injury. […]

I was reminded of the importance of increasing recovery capital when I attended the Illinois Certification Board's Annual Fall SUD Conference on October 29, 2024, and witnessed Kashena McDonald receive the Illinois Certification Board's distinguished Professional of the Year Award. Kashena coordinates the Certified Associate Addictions Professional Program (CAAP) for incarcerated individuals housed at Southwestern Correctional Center […]

March 18–20, 2025 Four Seasons Hotel | Baltimore, MD Register now to attend the second annual Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery! This conference brings together all relevant stakeholders, constituencies, and interested parties from around the country to address the number one public health issue facing young people today: alcohol and other drugs. […]

The opioid-use epidemic in the U.S. has been associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of pregnant persons with opioid use disorder (OUD).  Opioid-related overdose is now a leading cause of death in pregnant and postpartum individuals. Medications for OUD (MOUD) are effective in preventing opioid-related overdoses in pregnant and postpartum individuals (PP), as […]

This post discusses Principle 6: Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an essential approach that acknowledges the pervasive impact of trauma. It includes an understanding of past and current trauma and an awareness of its impact across settings, services, and populations. People that […]

This post discusses Principle 5: Empowerment, Voice, & Choice of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. The consequences of substance use disorders (SUD) and trauma can leave clients feeling disempowered. SUD and trauma can impact clients’ feelings of choice. Empowerment and choice are one of SAMHSA's six guiding principles of trauma-informed care. This […]

This post discusses Principle 4: Collaboration & Mutuality of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Collaboration and mutuality are one of SAMHSA's six key principles of trauma-informed care (TIC). Organizations that emphasize collaboration and mutuality as part of a TIC approach practice shared decision-making, view clients as experts of their own lives, and […]

This post discusses Principle 3: Peer Support of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Trauma-informed care (TIC) systems focus on reducing and avoiding re-traumatization, particularly for clients with substance use disorder (SUD). Peer support is one of SAMHSA's six key principles of trauma-informed care. This post outlines strategies for implementing peer support specialists […]

This post discusses Principle 2: Trustworthiness & Transparency of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Trauma erodes trust. When helping professionals are viewed by clients with substance use disorder (SUD) and traumatic stress disorders as trustworthy and predictable, the healing of trauma is more likely to occur. Counselor qualities that increase trust include […]

This post discusses Principle 1: Safety of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Safety is one of SAMHSA's six guiding principles of trauma-informed care (SAMHSA, 2023). Helping clients recover from trauma begins with creating safety in the home, community, and helping relationships (Herman, 2015). We can begin by asking clients what would help […]

SEPTEMBER 21 | 9:00 AM‒4:00 PM CT UIC Credit Union 1 Arena | 525 S Racine Ave, Chicago, IL You're invited to the first-ever national Rally for Recovery hosted in Illinois! Take part in a full day of recovery-centered education, community awareness, free live music and entertainment, national speakers, breakout panels, food, and activities for […]

Relapse is a natural part of the recovery journey and can happen at any time of the year. The summer months can present a higher risk of relapse for some people in recovery, as celebrations like the 4th of July, weddings, graduations, and vacations can all introduce relapse triggers. For some clients with substance use […]

ICYMI: Read Part 1 of this 2-part blog series! Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) is a psychological response to a traumatic event that typically arises within a month of the experience. If untreated, ASD can evolve into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Additionally, individuals with PTSD are at an increased risk of developing substance use disorders (SUD), […]

The majority of clients with substance use disorder (SUD) have a concurrent traumatic stress disorder (Mate, 2010). The traumatic stress disorder often precedes the SUD (Wright, 2022).  Both disorders have unique triggers. The two disorders in combination can play off each other and lead persons with co-occurring disorders to slip through the cracks (Sanders, 2011). […]

Once upon a time in a bustling substance use disorders (SUD) treatment program in Chicago, there was a seasoned therapist named Keitha Bevly. She had been navigating the trenches of SUD treatment care for over a decade, armed with experience and a passion for helping. One day, a fresh-faced chemical dependency counselor named Jamelia was […]

The Intersection of Addiction and Racism annotated bibliography is a collection of resources related to racism, anti-racism, and advancing health equity for Black, Indigenous, other People of Color, and other marginalized communities affected by unhealthy substance use and SUD/SUD treatment using a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) framework. It includes recent and classic/landmark papers on […]

By: Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC As it pertains to substance use, in recent decades the U.S. government, media, law enforcement, substance use disorders (SUDs) treatment community, and the general public have primarily focused on impacts of cocaine, methamphetamines, prescription drug misuse, and opioid use disorder. Discussions of alcohol use disorders have gone the way of […]

  First Lady Betty Ford's 1978 public statement about her alcohol use disorder played a major role in destigmatizing substance use disorders. Residential treatment facilities expanded exponentially to treat substance use disorders. The next several decades after the First Lady's public testimony, the nation experienced a crack and heroin crisis in metropolitan communities and a […]

In the October 2022–September 2023 grant year, the Opioid Response Network (ORN) expanded existing community collaboration efforts to convene regional summits in each of the 10 HHS regions. Altogether, ORN convened 38 summits with a total of 1,623 participants. Great Lakes HHS Region 5 hosted four of these summits. The first summit was held in […]

By: Kisha Freed and Mark Sanders  Ella Fitzgerald’s 1938 blues song, “When I Get Low, I Get High,” eloquently summarizes the medicinal role alcohol and other drugs have played for African Americans experiencing oppression, isolation, and depression (Sanders, Sanders and White, 2006). The first article of this three-part series discusses the cultural importance of spirituality […]

Press release: November 16, 2023 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced notices of funding opportunities this week for grant programs that address behavioral health challenges in local communities by preventing substance use initiation, reducing the progression of substance use, and addressing […]

The HEALing Communities Initiative, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative® launched the Opioid-Overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach (ORCCA): A Policymakers Guide to Implementing Evidence-Based Strategies that Address Opioid Overdose to aid policymakers, communities and key stakeholders in developing comprehensive, multi-system strategies that address […]