• Methadone
• Buprenorphine
• Naltrexone

MAT programs with methadone are part of a harm-reduction approach to fentanyl addiction treatment. Programs with MAT prioritize treating the whole person in a collaborative, patient-centered environment. In MAT programs, mutual cooperation between patient and provider is essential. These programs stress individual input, personalized treatment based on self-identified goals, and an effort to help each patient to improve overall health and wellbeing by facilitating engagement in significant lifestyle changes and accessing all possible avenues of social support services available.

People in comprehensive, harm-reduction oriented, whole-person MAT programs experience:

• Reduction in opioid use
• Reduction overdose fatality
• Improved treatment retention/adherence
• Increased social and family function
• Increased work and school function
• Decreased rates of relapse
• Decreased rates of criminal behavior

That’s why it’s called the gold standard treatment for OUD. We know from firsthand observation that methadone:

• Stabilizes brain chemistry
• Eases physiological cravings
• Normalizes physiological functioning
• Allows a person to successfully initiate and engage in counseling/therapy

Opioid use disorder (OUD) appears in many forms. People may develop addiction to illicit opioids like heroin, prescription medications that contain opioids, and other street drugs and/or illicitly manufactured drugs designed to look like legitimate prescription medication. In recent years, a dramatic influx of an opioid called fentanyl has complicated efforts to mitigate the harm caused by the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S.

To learn more about the risks associated with fentanyl, please read this article on our blog:

Why is Fentanyl So Dangerous?

Spoiler alert: fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, 100 times stronger than morphine, and so powerful that a single dose of only 2 mg can cause fatal overdose.

Methadone Treatment: More Effective Than Other MOUDs for Fentanyl Addiction

There are two primary reasons methadone treatment works best or fentanyl addiction:

1. The strength of fentanyl
2. The way methadone works

We mention above that fentanyl is a powerful opioid, significantly stronger than heroin, morphine, and all the common prescription opioids that carry risk of misuse, disordered use, and addiction, such as oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, and others.

What we don’t mention above is that among the FDA-approved medications for opioid used disorder (MOUD), methadone is a full opioid receptor agonist. Opioids achieve their effect by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, which results in significant pain reduction and euphoria, among other effects. When a person stops taking opioids, withdrawal symptoms appear within hours, including:

• Nausea
• Chills
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Agitation
• Cravings for opioids
• Insomnia
• Anxiety

Among the opioids of misuse and disordered use driving the opioid crisis, fentanyl – aside from a far less common variation, carfentanil – is the most powerful. Treatment professionals and addiction scientists now know that because of its increased strength, withdrawal from fentanyl is more intense and severe than withdrawal from other opioids.

This brings us to why methadone works best for fentanyl addiction.

As we mention above, methadone is a full opioid agonist, meaning it binds fully to and completely occupies opioid receptors in the human body. On the other hand, buprenorphine – a MOUD currently in widespread use for people with OUD – is a partial opioid agonist. This means it binds to and partially – but not completely – occupies opioid receptors in the human body.

For patients with a history of high dose, chronic fentanyl use with severe fentanyl addiction, the difference in the effectiveness between methadone and buprenorphine can be the difference between a successful recovery and relapse.

Many patients with severe fentanyl addiction report methadone is more effective at reducing the symptoms of withdrawal compared to buprenorphine, and is particularly effective in reducing opioid cravings, compared to buprenorphine.

Methadone: The Gold Standard for Fentanyl Addiction

Evidence published in a report called Methadone Treatment for People Who Use Fentanyl shows people on methadone with OUD had a lower risk of opioid related mortality compared to patient with OUD on buprenorphine:

• Methadone treatment: adjusted hazard rate (AHR) of 0.41
• Buprenorphine treatment: AHR of 0.61

Evidence from the same report shows that patients on methadone stay in treatment longer, compared to patients on buprenorphine. The longer a person stays in treatment, the lower their risk of relapse, complications associated with fentanyl use and accidental overdose.

Researchers and treatment professionals indicate that both methadone are first-line options for people with OUD. However, people with OUD who may benefit from methadone rather than buprenorphine include:

• New patients at high risk of early treatment drop-out
  • All patients with a history of severe/high fentanyl use are at increased risk of early treatment drop-out
• Patients at high risk of relapse
  • All patients with a history of severe/high fentanyl use are at increased risk of relapse
• Patients who’ve had success with methadone in the past
• New patients who do not want buprenorphine
• Patients who have had no success in previous treatment with buprenorphine

There’s another danger associated with fentanyl we haven’t addressed yet: its presence in illicit, non-opioid drugs. The DEA reports the presence of fentanyl in drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and Adderall. A person taking these drugs – and the people around them – may not recognize the signs of opioid overdose because they don’t know they – and the people around them – may not be aware they ingested an opioid.

Signs of fentanyl overdose include:

• Slow breathing/no breathing
• Slow heartbeat/no heartbeat
• Loss of consciousness/unresponsive to attempts to waken
• Pale, clammy face/skin
• Blue/purple lips or fingernails
• Vomiting
• Trouble breathing/gurgling noises while breathing

If you observe these signs in someone, don’t wait to see what happens, think about it, or worry you’ll get in trouble. Administer naloxone immediately, if on hand, and call 911. Good Samaritan laws protect people who administer naloxone in an overdose emergency.

Advice for Patients Considering Methadone Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction

First, it’s important to understand that methadone treatment is one component part of a harm reduction approach to addiction treatment. Other components include therapy, counseling, lifestyle changes community support, and accessing social services to support improvements in all areas of life.

Second, it’s important to understand that any kind of MAT – including methadone treatment for fentanyl addiction – is not simply trading one addiction for another. It’s an evidence-based approach to addiction treatment that increases overall chances at long-term, sustainable recovery.

Third, new rules around methadone treatment instituted during COVID may soon become permanent, which means the barriers to access to methadone may soon be a thing of the past, increasing the availability of methadone for patients who need it most.

Finally, understand that methadone is the first and most widely studied form of MAT known. The first methadone clinic opened in New York City in 1964. Over the past 60 – yes, sixty years – countless studies demonstrate that MAT with methadone is safe and effective.

Treatment and Support for Fentanyl Addiction

If you or someone you love needs professional support for fentanyl addiction, evidence-based support –is available now. Treatment professionals committed to a compassionate, empathetic, harm reduction approach can help, no matter who you are. We understand taking the first step is often the most difficult, and we’re here to help as soon as you’re ready to ask for help.

We commit to helping you through your entire treatment journey. Our nationwide alumni network is strong, and our case management and peer support specialists can help you manage your recovery, keep you on track, and give you the best possible chance of sustainable, long-term recovery.

Remember: the earlier a person who need professional addiction treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome.

The post Why Does Methadone Treatment Work Best for Fentanyl Addiction? appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

People with opioid addiction can change their lives with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone, which is one of three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Methadone Clinics: What You Need to Know

Methadone clinics are opioid addiction treatment centers, which are officially classified by the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). These treatment centers meet all the FDA and DEA requirements to provide patients with MAT with methadone. In New Jersey, we operate opioid addiction and heroin treatment centers at various locations with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), like our methadone treatment services at our methadone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ, called Ocean Medical Services.

Our Methadone Clinic in Tom’s River, NJ

At our methadone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ, we offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as part of our addiction treatment services, specifically for people diagnosed with opioid use disorder, heroin use disorder, or prescription opioid use disorder.

About Methadone

Methadone was originally developed as an alternative pain reliever to opium during World War II, to prepare for potential opium shortages. It was sold as a cough reliever in the 1940s before doctors began experimenting with it as a treatment for morphine and heroin addiction. Due to the success of these experiments, the first methadone clinic in the United States opened in New York City in 1964.

Since then – 60 years ago – research has confirmed that methadone is a safe, effective, lifesaving medication for opioid addiction. Methadone helps people with opioid or heroin addiction because it’s a full opioid agonist. This means it has complete affinity for opioid receptors in the brain, and can occupy them easily. However – and this is why doctors use methadone to treat addiction – methadone doesn’t cause the same feelings of euphoria associated with other opioids.

Medication-assisted treatment with one of the three FDA-approved MOUDs is widely considered the gold standard treatment for opioid addiction. It’s part of an approach to treatment called harm reduction.

The Harm Reduction Movement: New Legislation in New Jersey

In response to the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S., which has negatively impacted people around the country and in New Jersey, the state government passed a series of laws in 2022 that prioritize and expand harm reduction services across the state.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates methadone treatment programs:

• Reduce frequency of opioid use
• Reduces fatal opioid overdose
• Decreases criminal behavior associated with opioid use
• Decreases spread of disease associated with intravenous drug us
• Improves social, family, academic, and vocational function
• Help people stay in treatment longer
• Reduce premature mortality associated with opioid use

The treatment experts as SAMSHA sum up treatment with methadone as follows:

“Methadone helps individuals achieve and sustain recovery and to reclaim active and meaningful lives.”

When the harm reduction legislation passed in New Jersey, which include the expansion of MAT services and methadone treatment, former New Jersey State Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Hurtle released this statement:

“Research has shown time and again that harm reduction measures work. Our state loses thousands of residents each year to overdoses alone. If we want to help our fellow community members avoid these tragic outcomes, we must offer the resources and [treatment] alternatives they need.”

If that person in your immediate circle needs support for opioid use disorder (OUD), or another type of opioid addiction such as heroin addiction, one thing you can advise is to arrange a full addiction screening with a mental health professional. The result of the screening may indicate opioid use disorder. If so, they may receive a referral for MAT. If they’re in near Tom’s River, NJ, they can pursue treatment with methadone at Ocean Medical Services.

Pinnacle Treatment Centers Methadone Clinic in Tom’s River, NJ

It’s important for everyone to understand that a medication-assisted program is about more than the medication. A methadone program is not only about methadone. It’s about a comprehensive approach to addiction treatment. A treatment plan at  Ocean Medical Services may include – in addition to methadone – some, if not all, of the following components:

• Individual counseling/therapy
• Group counseling/therapy
• Coaching on lifestyle changes, including healthy eating, stress management, and daily exercise/activity
• Education on the science of addiction and recovery
• Complementary support, such as mindfulness, meditation, and yoga
• Community support programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) SMART Recovery
• Aftercare and case management services

The goal of these services, and the overall goal of harm reduction, is to bring treatment to people in need in the way they’ll accept it, when and how they’re willing to accept it. Not everyone responds to treatment in the same way. Therefore, at Pinnacle Treatment Centers, each treatment plan meets the unique needs of each individual.

Finding Treatment in Tom’s River, NJ

If a friend or loved one seek addiction treatment at a methadone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ, don’t hesitate to call us at Ocean Medical Services. To ensure you find the treatment that best meets your needs or the needs of a friend or loved one, we also encourage you to do your due diligence and research treatment centers independently. These resources can help you as you seek evidence-based treatment:

• For residents of New Jersey: Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
• For people in New Jersey without insurance: 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465
• IME Addiction Access Center: call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 referral support
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) online treatment locator

The Impact of the Opioid Crisis on Ocean County

At the beginning of the opioid crisis, in the year 2001 – before anyone labeled it a crisis – data from Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that just over 19,000 people died of a fatal drug overdose. The latest complete set of data we have, from 2022 indicates over 108,000 people died of drug overdose – with around ¾ of those deaths attributable to opioids. That’s a staggering increase of almost 460 percent.

In the state of New Jersey, officials created the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data website to track overdose deaths. These following figures demonstrate the impact of the crisis on Ocean County, New Jersey

Fatal Opioid Overdose: Six-Year Trend for Ocean County, NJ

• 2018: 219
• 2019: 204
• 2020: 245
• 2021: 242
• 2022: 186
• 2023: 168

Since 2020 – the infamous pandemic year – rates of overdose in Ocean County have decreased, year-over-year. That’s encouraging. It’s important to understand these figures in context, however. This trend in decrease appeared after close to 20 years of increase nationwide. It’s also important to humanize every number we see, and remember that each overdose represents pain, grief, and heartbreak for families and loved ones, and a tragic outcome for the person who overdosed.

At Pinnacle Treatment Centers, we know that each of those overdose deaths was preventable. That’s why we continue to offer harm reduction services, including MAT with methadone, at our methadone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ. We’ll continue to offer our services as long as the need for addiction treatment exists – and we hope to be a big part of the reason this need decreases, rather than increases, over the next several years.

The post How to Find a Methadone Clinic in Toms River, New Jersey appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

The ongoing overdose crisis in the U.S. affects people from all walks of life. From construction workers to doctors, movie stars to working moms, no one is immune – and that includes the people of Brick, New Jersey, where Pinnacle Treatment Centers provides addiction treatment services at Ocean Monmouth Care and Suboxone Services of Brick.

Suboxone Clinics and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Suboxone clinics are facilities that meet all the government requirements to support patients with opioid use disorder with medication-assisted treatment (MAT). An addiction treatment program that offers MAT may use one of three medications: suboxone, methadone, and naltrexone. A Suboxone clinic uses one of these medications in particular – Suboxone – which is a formulation that includes both buprenorphine and naltrexone. Our Suboxone Clinics in Brick, NJ use this formulation, which evidence shows can dramatically improve the lives of people with heroin addiction, fentanyl addiction, and other types of opioid use disorder.

Suboxone Clinics in Brick, NJ: Medications for Addiction

Suboxone includes two medications: buprenorphine and naltrexone.

What is Buprenorphine?

Buprenorphine is called a partial opioid agonist because it can bind with the opioid receptors in the human brain, but not completely. It takes up enough of the receptors to prevent other opioids – heroin and fentanyl, for instance – from occupying the receptors and causing the euphoria associated with opioid use. In addition to blocking this effect, it also reduces cravings for opioids and mitigates the severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms.

What is Naltrexone?

Naltrexone works differently than buprenorphine. Rather than partially binding to the opioid receptors in the human brain, it completely blocks any type of opioid – especially drugs of misuse and disordered use like heroin and fentanyl – from binding to opioid receptors. When a person takes naltrexone, they don’t experience the euphoria associated with opioids, which prevents the misuse of Suboxone. In addition, if a person takes naltrexone while using any opioid, it can cause that person to enter opioid withdrawal. In this way, the naltrexone acts as a deterrent for the use of other opioids, and the diversion or improper use of Suboxone.

Why Suboxone? The Harm Reduction Movement

Harm reduction is an approach to addiction that first appeared in Europe in the 1990s. The success of harm reduction programs like medication-assisted treatment, clean syringe programs, and access to overdose reversal medication convinced authorities in the U.S. to adopt harm reduction measures in response to our opioid and drug overdose crisis.

The state of New Jersey passed a series of laws in 2022 prioritizing harm reduction strategies to mitigate the negative effects of the opioid crisis. New Jersey State Assemblywoman Annette Quijano describes the importance of this new legislation:

“Harm reduction sites provide critical services…while honoring the dignity of those living with a substance use disorder. These programs are staffed by professionals who can help limit the risks of intravenous drug use…while providing a safe, stigma-free environment in which to receive care. This legislation will help make it easier for these programs to be approved and maintained going forward.”

The legislature passed these laws based on an extensive body of evidence that shows harm reduction has the following benefits:

• Connects people to the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD)
• Provides the overdose reversal medication naloxone to first responders, medical personnel, and people at high risk of overdose
• Decreases the risk and transmission of infectious diseases associated with intravenous drug use
• Decreases stigma associated with addiction

In addition, evidence shows medication-assisted treatment with Suboxone can:

• Reduce opioid use
• Increase time-in-treatment
• Decrease all-cause mortality for people with OUD
• Improve family, social, vocational, and academic functioning
• Decrease rates of fatal overdose

If you or a loved one has opioid use disorder and needs heroin addiction treatment, please encourage them to arrange a full screening for addiction, so they can receive an accurate diagnosis and begin effective treatment as soon as possible at a Suboxone Clinic in Brick, NJ.

Comprehensive, Integrated Addiction Treatment at Pinnacle Treatment Centers

Treatment at Ocean Monmouth Care and/or Suboxone Services of Brick is about more than the medication. Our team supports our patients on any level they accept. Options in our treatment plans are varied, and include:

• Counseling, therapy, psychological support
• MAT with Suboxone
• Education on healthy habits that promote recovery
• Recovery education
• Auxiliary support like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness
• Access to peer support, including 12-step programs
• Aftercare/case management

While all these options are available, not every patient engages every single one: the components of a treatment program depend on factors unique to each individual.

Finding Addiction Treatment in Brick, NJ

If you or a loved one need to find a Suboxone Clinic in Brick, NJ, contact out team us Ocean Monmouth Care or Suboxone Services of Brick.

Additional resources for finding high-quality treatment for substance use disorder are available here:

• Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
• 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465 (for people without insurance)
• Call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 for referral and emergency support from Rutgers University
• SAMHSA treatment finder

If you or a loved one needs help finding a Suboxone Clinic in Brick, NJ, please don’t hesitate. Evidence shows that sooner a person who requires professional support receives that professional support, the greater their chances of a successful treatment and recovery journey.

The Overdose Epidemic: Statistics for the U.S. and Ocean County, NJ

Over the past 25 years, more than a million people have lost their lives to fatal overdose. Close to 75 percent of those deaths included opioids such as heroin, prescription opioids, and fentanyl. As overdose rates increase, so do our efforts to offer more people lifesaving care in the form of MAT with Suboxone at our clinics in Brick, NJ.

To reiterate the need for this gold-standard care for OUD, we’ll review the overdose reports for the last five years. We retrieved this information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Five-Year Trends in Overdose, United States

• 2018: 67,850
• 2019: 71,130
• 2020: 92,478
• 2021: 106,699
• 2022: 108,388

Over that time period, overdose fatalities rose by 60 percent. To see the data for Brick, where we operate Ocean Monmouth Care and Suboxone Services of Brick, we’ll use the latest reports for Ocean County. You can find more data on Brick and Ocean County via the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and /or the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data website.

Six-Year Trends in Opioid Overdose, Ocean County

• 2018: 219
• 2019: 204
• 2020: 245
• 2021: 242
• 2022: 186
• 2023: 168

When we look at numbers in the tens or hundreds of thousands, like the national data, or numbers in the hundreds, like the data from Ocean County, it can be hard to get perspective on what they really mean on a human level. Our perspective is this: any overdose fatality is a tragedy for that individual, their family, and the people who love them.

This report shows us an encouraging downward trend. However, citizens of Brick need the best addiction treatment available. Experts call MAT with Suboxone the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Treatment for OUD with Suboxone is available at our Suboxone Clinics in Brick, NJ.

The post How to Find a Suboxone Clinic in Brick, NJ appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

In 2024, fentanyl is almost everywhere in the illicit drug supply – not just in illicit opioids. Drugs that may contain fentanyl include, but are not limited to:

• Heroin
• Cocaine
• Methamphetamine
• Adderall (illicit)
• Xanax (illicit)
• Oxycontin (illicit)
• Percocet (illicit)
• Vicodin (illicit)

The presence of fentanyl in any of these drugs significantly increases risk of fatal overdose. Fentanyl test strips allow people who use drugs to test the drugs they may take for the presence of fentanyl. If fentanyl is present, they can prevent overdose by not taking the substance that tested positive for fentanyl.

Where to Find Fentanyl Test Strips

Find information about fentanyl test strips at the CDC Fentanyl Test Strip Page and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Fentanyl Test Strip Page.

To find fentanyl test strips to test illicit drugs, use these resources:

• Local Health Departments
• The National Harm Reduction Coalition
• Needle Exchange Program Locations (NASEN)
• Online (Amazon, etc.)
• Local pharmacies

Fentanyl test strips are inexpensive – about a dollar per strip. They’re often sold in packs of 6 or 12, with costs varying by manufacturer and quantity. A pack of six may cost just over six dollars, while a pack of 100 may cost around 85 dollars.

How to Use Fentanyl Test Strips: Video

Using fentanyl strips is simple and easy. If you or someone you love uses opioids or other drugs that may contain fentanyl (see list above), please watch the video below: it may prevent you or a loved one from taking a substance with a very high risk of fatal overdose:

If you have questions or concerns about using fentanyl test strips, please call us at any time, or visit our contact page, fill out our form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Why is Fentanyl So Dangerous – And How Can Fentanyl Test Strips Help?

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) maintains an online fentanyl facts and awareness resource called One Pill Can Kill. While that name may sound like an inflammatory scare tactic, it’s not. When you read the facts about fentanyl, you understand why they DEA – and anyone working in drug enforcement, drug treatment, or drug use prevention – make such a big deal out of fentanyl.

It’s true: one pill can kill.

How?

Two reasons.

First, its potency:

• 50 times more powerful than heroin
• 100 times more powerful than morphine
• One dose can cause an overdose

Second, where it’s found:

• Drug cartels manufacture counterfeit pills, then sell them as genuine medications
• The fake pills contain fentanyl, and each one has the potential to cause a fatal overdose
• It’s easy to find fake (illicit) prescription medication online
• Cartels design fake pills to look exactly like the real prescription pills

To see side-by-side pictures of real/fake medication, click the DEA “One Pill Can Kill” link. The takeaway from the DEA is clear:

There’s a very real chance of finding fentanyl in any illicitly produced pill available on the black market or through illegal websites – and one pill is enough to cause a fatal overdose. A fentanyl test strip can prevent someone who uses drugs from accidentally ingesting fentanyl. 

That sounds scary and should be. Fentanyl is dangerous. Here’s the latest data from the DEA and the CDC.

Fentanyl Seizures and Fatal Overdose

• 2023 DEA Data:
  • DEA seized over 78 million pills containing fentanyl
  • DEA seized close to 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder
  • The 2023 seizures contained close to 400 million lethal doses of fentanyl
• CDC Data, Fatal overdose involving synthetic opioids:
• 2017: 28,659
• 2018: 31,525
• 2019: 36,603
• 2020: 56,894
• 2021: 71,143
• 2022: 74,789

That’s a 160 percent increase over six years, with a staggering 55 percent increase identified between 2019 and 2020. The impact of fentanyl on the opioid and overdose crisis has been devastating, and experts consider fentanyl a primary driver of the opioid overdose crisis. If you or someone you love uses opioids, please help them consider treatment, and if they won’t consent to treatment, please encourage them to consider using fentanyl test strips to reduce their chance of fatal drug overdose.

The post What Are Fentanyl Test Strips – And How Do I Use Them? appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

That’s why knowing about the latest treatments – and how to find them – is critical for individuals and families who want to move past the harmful cycles of addiction.

What is a Suboxone Clinic?

A Suboxone clinic is an addiction treatment facility that’s fully licensed and approved by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to offer treatment for OUD with Suboxone, which is a combination of two medications: buprenorphine and naltrexone. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. It occupies opioid receptors in the brain without the euphoria associated with opioid use. Naltrexone, on the other hand, is a full opioid antagonist. It prevents any opioid from occupying opioid receptors in the brain, thereby preventing any opioid-related euphoria.

Treatment with Suboxone is part of an approach to heroin treatment and opioid addiction called harm reduction. Harm reduction was fully endorsed by the State Government of New Jersey with legislation passed in 2022.

The Director of Harm Reduction Services for the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, Caitlin O’Neill, offers her opinion on harm reduction efforts in New Jersey:

“Many lives will be saved with the expansion of harm reduction centers…in New Jersey, and many peoples’ inherent value and humanity will be reinforced. This is a vital step towards New Jersey ending the overdose crisis…and finally building the systems of care that will keep all of us alive and safer — no matter where we lay our heads.”

The benefits of treatment with Suboxone include:

• Stopping/preventing the action of opioids on the brain
• Resetting the neurotransmitter system in the brain
• Blocking the euphoria associated with opioid use
• Reducing the severity of cravings for opioids
• Mitigating the most intense symptoms of opioid withdrawal

Suboxone treatment programs also helps:

• Increase the length of time people stay in treatment
• Reduce the use of opioids
• Reduce criminal behavior associated with drug use
• The ability to look for and find a job
• The ability to engage fully in family life
• School and work performance
• Reduce risk of fatal overdose
• Reduce risk of premature mortality (early death)

Evidence-based treatment with Suboxone is accessible in Tom’s River, NJ.

However, if you don’t know what to look for, how do you determine if you, a friend, or a loved one needs treatment?

Warning Signs: Opioid or Heroin Addiction

When a person has a substance use disorder, it’s important to get help sooner than later. Chronic, long-term addiction can create serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems.

If you or a loved one needs MAT treatment at a Suboxone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ, please remember: the earlier a person who needs treatment receives treatment, the better the outcome.

To determine whether someone might have an opioid/heroin addiction, watch for these warning signs:

Opioid Use Disorder: Physical Warning Signs

• Frequent accidents with no explanation
• Tremors/shaking hands
• Reduced attention/care about personal appearance
• Rapid change in weight
• Incoherent speech
• Clammy palms
• Bloodshot eyes
• Wide pupils
• Decreased coordination
• Strange smells: clothes, hair, breath
• Evidence of intravenous injections

Opioid Use Disorder: Behavioral Warning Signs

• Mood swings
• Drastic changes in personality
• Impaired performance at work or school
• Irritability
• Anger
• Problems concentrating
• Inability to fulfill obligations/responsibilities
• Reduced interest in favorite activities
• Lying about drug use
• Stealing to support drug use
• Furtive behavior
• Attempting to hide drug use

When these warning signs appear in someone you love, or you recognize them in yourself, the best first step is a professional evaluation for substance use disorder performed by a mental health professional.  After a full evaluation, a physician, psychiatrist, or therapist can arrive at an accurate diagnosis and provide a referral treatment at a Suboxone Clinic in Tom’s River, NJ.

Pinnacle Treatment Centers: MAT Treatment Follows National Guidelines

The support and care we offer at our Suboxone clinics in Tom’s River, NJ is not just about taking Suboxone every day. Our treatment approach follows guidelines established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). After a full biopsychosocial evaluation, our providers at Ocean Medical Services and Suboxone Services of Tom’s River develop a treatment plan with a variety of effective, evidence-based components.

MAT Programs at Pinnacle Suboxone Clinics in Tom’s River, NJ

• Individual counseling and therapy
• Group counseling and therapy
• Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD): Suboxone
• Changes in daily habits: Healthy food, daily activity, stress management, sleep hygiene
• Enrichment: group classes on the science of addiction and recovery
• Auxiliary approaches: Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness
• 12-step programs: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) SMART Recovery
• Case management services: help after discharge with accessing social services, accessing recovery housing, and relapse prevention

While therapy, changes in daily habits, and education on addiction and recovery promotes a successful recovery, the inability to participate in these components of treatment does not prevent a person from receiving Suboxone. A core tenet of harm reduction is meeting people where they are, and offering the treatment they’ll accept in the manner they’ll accept it. If medication is where a person needs to start, then that’s where we start.

Finding Addiction Treatment at a Suboxone Clinic in Tom’s River, NJ

To find treatment at a Suboxone Clinic in Tom’s River, NJ, please call us at Ocean Medical Services or Suboxone Services of Tom’s River.

To find evidence-based treatment for addiction, you can also use these online resources:

• Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
• 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465 (for people without insurance)
• Call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 for referral and emergency support from Rutgers University
• SAMHSA treatment finder

The earlier a person who needs treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome.

The Opioid Crisis in the U.S. and New Jersey: Facts and Figures

Since 1999, a staggering number of people have died of drug overdose in the U.S. Data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that number exceeds 1,000,000 – and it’s growing every year. The data shows around 75 percent of those overdose deaths involved opioids.

Let’s look at the fatal overdose data from the past several years. These figures are available on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Overdose Fatalities, 2018-2023: United States

• 2018: 67,850
• 2019: 71,130
• 2020: 92,478
• 2021: 106,699
• 2022: 108,388

That’s a 60% increase over those seven years – and the national numbers are still rising. To narrow our focus to Tom’s River, where we operate Ocean Medical Services and Suboxone Services of Tom’s River, we’ll look at the data for Ocean County, NJ, where Tom’s River is located. To explore the publicly available data further, please visit the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data resource page.

Overdose Fatalities, Opioids, Ocean County 2018-2023

• 2018: 219
• 2019: 204
• 2020: 245
• 2021: 242
• 2022: 186
• 2023: 168

Let’s be clear: one overdose fatality is one too many.

This data shows us that, although the past two years show a downward trend, the residents of Tom’s River need access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), which also includes heroin treatment and treatment for prescription opioid addiction. Experts call MAT with Suboxone the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Treatment for OUD with Suboxone is available at our Suboxone Clinics in Tom’s River, NJ.

The post How to Find a Suboxone Clinic in Toms River, NJ appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

Harm Reduction in California Part I: The SOS Workgroup

Harm Reduction in California Part II: The California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI)

This article will focus on an important piece of California’s response to the nationwide opioid and overdose crisis, which has claimed over a million lives in the U.S. since 1999. California is at the forefront of harm reduction efforts in the country. They formed their SOS workgroup in 2014, and the California Harm Reduction Initiative in 2019. These responses anticipated the response of other states in adopting harm reduction legislation, such as New Jersey in 2022, and predated the inclusion of harm reduction programs in our new National Drug Control Strategy, also implemented in 2022.

Medication-Assisted Treatment in Prisons and Jails in California: The Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program (ISUDT)

In 2019, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) created a program called Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) to offer substance use disorder treatment – including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – to incarcerated individuals in California.

The initial goals of ISUDT in the CDCR were to “reduce SUD-related morbidity and mortality, and recidivism.” With implementation of the program, however, the goals expanded and became more specific. These are the current goals of the program, as of 2024:

• Reduce SUD-related mortality and morbidity, and associated health care costs.
• Create a rehabilitative environment in state prisons, improving safety for residents and staff.
• Successfully reintegrate individuals into their community at time of release
• Improve public safety and promote healthy families and communities
• Reduce recidivism and associated criminal justice costs

Upon implementation of the program in 2020, the ISUDT identified five core program components:

1. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Screening and Assessment
2. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
3. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI)
4. Supportive Housing
5. Enhanced Pre-Release Planning and Transition Services

We’ll describe each of these core components below.

ISUDT in California: Harm Reduction and MAT in Prisons and Jails

Here’s a brief explanation of each ISUDT program component.

SUD Screening and Assessment

This component of ISUDT involves evaluating all individuals for addiction upon intake to the CDCR.

• Upon intake, CCHCS staff screen patient for SUD – which includes screening of alcohol use disorder (AUD), opioid use disorder (OUD), and other addiction disorders – using standard assessment tools created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
• If a screening indicates SUD, CCHCS clinicians determine the severity of the disorder and the appropriate level of care for individual needs.
• CCHCS clinicians prioritize three groups for treatment:
  • Patients scheduled for release within 15-24 months
  • Patients at highest risk for overdose
  • Patients on MAT prior to intake

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

This component of ISUDT involves treating patients diagnosed with AUD or OUD with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with FDA-approved medications.

• For AUD, CCHCS physicians can prescribe Acamprosate and Naltrexone.
• For OUD, CCHCS physicians can prescribe Naltrexone, Buprenorphine, Methadone, and Naloxone.

MAT programs prevent symptoms of withdrawal and allow patients individuals to participate in treatment and rehabilitation programs.

• CDCR and CCHCS built an internal primary care provider (PCP) workforce to deliver MAT services.
• CCHCS PCPs prescribe medication to ISUDT patients, which distributes the workload over a large group of PCPs rather than a small group of addiction specialists.
• Between 2020 and 2022, all 500 CCHCS PCPs received specialized training to support patients with SUD
• Between 2020 and 2022, all 500 CCHCS PCPs obtained Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) X-waivers, which allows them to prescribe buprenorphine, one of three medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

The CCHCS program prepares their PCPs to manage patients is currently one of the largest programs in the country designed to incorporate primary care providers in SUD treatment.

Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI)

Evidence indicates that SUD programs and MAT programs that include therapy and counseling – i.e. cognitive behavioral interventions (CBIs) – improve outcomes, compared to SUD and MAT programs that don’t include CBIs.

• The cognitive behavioral interventions used by CCHCS are based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• CBT based CBI helps patients understand the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
• CBI helps patients:
  • Identify and process self-destructive thoughts, beliefs, and/or attitudes
  • Change unwanted behavior
  • Develop emotional regulation skills, general coping skills, stress management skills, and techniques to tolerate adversity and distress
• Participants can choose from three CBI pathways, managed by their alcohol/drug counselors:
  • Life Skills
  • Outpatient Treatment
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment

Supportive Housing

This component of ISUDT was meant to involve housing participants in SUD treatment in rehabilitative housing units separate from the rest of the incarcerated population. Research shows that, compared to patients with SUD who don’t live in separate supportive housing units, patients with SUD who live in separate supportive housing have:

• Lower rates of relapse
• Lower rates of recidivism

While each CDCR location identified appropriate supportive housing space for ISUDT program participants, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed implementation of the program until Summer 2022. As of April 2023, a total of 14,976 ISUDT participants lived in supportive housing units.

Enhanced Pre-Release Planning and Transition Services

Leading up to discharge, ISUDT staff work to lay the groundwork for a successful transition to the community after incarceration. In this component of the ISUDT, select CDCR staff work to:

• Assessing the participant’s current needs
• Collaborate to develop a comprehensive pre-release plan
• Facilitate connections with the community resources, which include:
  • MAT appointments
  • SUD counseling appointments
  • Mental health appointment
  • Health insurance resources
  • Housing resources
  • Vocational resources
  • Educational resources

Since implementing ISUDT in January 2020, CDCR staff have connected over 2,000 program participants with community SUD providers. These connections have the potential to reduce overdose rates, relapse rates, rates of premature mortality, and rates of recidivism. In addition, they help create a soft landing for patients upon release, and minimize the stress and challenges associated with rebuilding a life after incarceration.

Evidence-Based Outcomes: Impact of the ISUDT on Prisons and Jails in California

One requirement for all opioid response programs established as a result of the California SOS Workgroup and the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) is complete data transparency. This includes timely and accurate reporting of outcomes for all new overdose/addiction mitigation programs and harm reduction programs in the state. Public-facing data resources include:

• Califiornia Substance and Addiction Branch Home Page
• California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard
• California Harm Reduction Initiative Home Page
• The ISDUT Data Dashboard

Here’s a summary of the data reported on the ISDUT Data Dashboard as of February 28^th, 2024, with additional data collected from two reports: “Impacts of The Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program April 2022,” and “Impacts of the Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) Program on Morbidity and Mortality April 2023.”

Overall Data: ISUDT 2020-2024

• 92,985 patients screened for SUD
• 39,661 assessed for SUD treatment needs
• 27,033 evaluated for MAT
• 17,127 prescribed MAT
• 10,156 patients receiving CBI
• 24,048 received SUD treatment

Based on this information, the ISUDT program in the CDCR is largest provider of MAT among jails and prisons in the country.

Now let’s review the data on overdose in California prisons and jails.

Overdose Data: ISUDT 2018-2021

• Overdose rate, all drugs:
  • 2018-2019 (Before ISUDT): 49.3 deaths per 100,000
  • 2020-2021 (After ISUDT): 22.8 deaths per 100,000

That’s a 54% decrease.

• Overdose rate, opioids:
  • 2018-2019 (Before ISUDT): 39.8 deaths per 100,000
  • 2020-2021 (After ISUDT): 20.4 deaths per 100,000

That’s a 50% decrease.

• Patients with OUD not on MAT:
  • 5 deaths per 1,000
• Patients with OUD on MAT:
  • 8 deaths per 1,000

A difference of 29%.

Next, the general health outcomes for patients participating in the ISUDT.

Hospitalization/Disease Data: ISUDT

• 18% decrease in hospitalization rates for overdose
• 21% decrease in skin/soft tissue infections
• 29% lower reinfection rate for hepatitis C virus (HCV) for patients with OUD on MAT compared to patients with OUD not on MAT

Finally, let’s look at the outcomes of the pre-release and release programs established by the ISUDT:

Pre-Release and Release Initiatives: ISUDT

• 95% of patients submitted Medi-Cal application (health insurance through state program)
• 75% of Veterans connected to VA services
• 86% offered state ID card
• 93% on MAT received medication upon release
• 84% of MAT patients had a post-release MAT appointment scheduled
• 97% of patients on MAT received naloxone training and kits upon release

Another insight included in the ISUDT report caught our attention. Program participants, CDCR, and CCHCS staff report the ISUDT program is life-changing for patients who adhere to treatment. Also, before the implementation of the ISUDT, state officials projected that 50 percent of patients offered MAT would accept and initiate treatment. However, upon implementation, their projections fell far short of reality: almost 90 percent of patients offered MAT accepted and initiated MAT.

Harm Reduction and MAT in Prisons and Jails in California

In the final article on our series on harm reduction in California, we’ll report on the role Pinnacle Treatment Centers and Aegis Treatment Centers take to support MAT programs in California prisons and jails. Our Director of Government Relations (California), Javier Moreno, coordinates this ongoing effort. Javier collaborates with the CDC and the CCHCS to provide MAT with methadone to patients opioid use disorder (OUD). Javier is also instrumental in working to provide continuing MAT services, counseling, and therapy to ISUDT patients upon their return to the community.

Look for Part IV of our Harm Reduction in California Series, coming soon.

The post Harm Reduction in California Part III: MAT in Prisons and Jails appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

The Opioid and Overdose Crisis in the U.S. and California

In the United States, the opioid and overdose crisis has claimed over a million lives in the past 25 years, with over 75 percent of those deaths involving opioids. California is not immune to this crisis. The latest data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

Overdose Fatalities in California: 2019-2022

• 2019: 3,244 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 5,885 total drug overdose deaths
• 2020: 5,502 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 6,198 total drug overdose deaths
• 2021: 7,175 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 9,462 total drug overdose deaths
• 2022: 7,385 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 11,761 total drug overdose deaths

Figures from the CDPH and CDC aren’t identical, due to differences in vetting procedures, reporting deadlines, and other technical issues. However, the data above offer the best possible record/report of all drug and opioid overdose deaths in California. For a detailed dive into the data, please click the links and explore both the state and national overdose surveillance dashboards.

That’s the current situation in California, where Pinnacle Treatment Centers offers a core element of harm reduction – medication assisted treatment (MAT) – at over 40 locations across California, including these three facilities:

1. Aegis Treatment Centers Modesto in Modesto, CA

2. Aegis Treatment Centers Ontario in Ontaria, CA

3. Aegis Treatment Centers Roseville in Roseville, CA

Those treatment centers serve a clear and demonstrated need for MAT treatment, as illustrated in the data above: a 100.1 percent increase in total drug overdose deaths between 2019, and a 127.6 percent increase in opioid-related overdose deaths.

Pinnacle Treatment Centers and Aegis Treatment Centers support the harm reduction efforts prioritized by the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI), established by the state of California in 2019.

About the California Harm Reduction Initiative

Officials in California allocated 15.2 million dollars to form a partnership with the National Harm Reduction Coalition to create harm reduction programs that address needs unique to the citizens of California under the umbrella of the California Harm Reduction Initiative.

The diversity of California makes implementing any statewide program a challenge, but that challenge also creates an opportunity for the rest of us: programs that succeed in a state as diverse as California can serve as templates for other areas of the country that are just as diverse, and face similar problems with implementation, scale, and access.

If a program succeeds in California, a state which include urban, suburban, exurban, semi-rural, and rural areas, then it’s likely it can succeed anywhere. Since 2019, the CHRI has implemented programs that improve the lives of Californians across the state.

CHRI Programs: Help for California

• Increase programs that prioritize reducing harm
• Expand access to treatment for SUD, especially OUD
• Mitigate the damaging effects of drug use for individuals, families, and communities.

One of the most successful programs launched by the California Harm Reduction Initiative is the California Bridge Program, called CA Bridge. The goal of the bridge program is to allow any person in California to initiate substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in hospitals in California, wherever the hospital is and whenever anyone needs treatment.

That’s a goal we can relate to.

Our goal at Pinnacle Treatment Centers is to bring SUD treatment to anyone who needs it, as quickly as we possibly can.

The CA Bridge program is important because it leverages a specific time – when a person with SUD or OUD visits a hospital for a drug-related reason, including overdose – that evidence shows people who use drugs are most willing to accept and initiate treatment. When a person ends up in the hospital emergency room for drug-related reasons, they often spend the hours re-evaluating their circumstances – and many decide it’s time to make a change.

California Bridge: The Impact

As we mention above, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

With that in mind, let’s look at the measurable impact of the California Bridge Program on the people of California, as reported on their comprehensive website.

• As of 2023, 83% of California hospitals participate in CA Bridge
  • 25% in 2020
  • 49% in 2021
  • 73% in 2022
• 109,000 patients screened for substance use disorder
• 31,000 patients administered or prescribed buprenorphine, on of the medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs.
• 37,300 patients made a follow-up appointment for SUD counseling/treatment
• 36,078 patients initiated MAT as the result of CA Bridge
  • 8,544 were in a criminal justice setting
  • 33% were people of color
  • 33% reported housing insecurity
  • 77% were uninsured
  • 70% had co-occurring mental health disorders
• 85% of patients offered MAT accepted MAT
• 40% of patients who initiated treatment in the hospital participate in ongoing care

The heroes of the CA Bridge program are Substance Use Navigators. Substance Use Navigators help connect people in the hospital with MAT services while in the hospital, then connect them to ongoing support after discharge from the hospital. Substance Use Navigators introduce the concept of harm reduction, treat patients with dignity, focus on empathy and understanding, and show patients without support how they can access support and treatment that can change their lives for the better.

Up Next: Harm Reduction in Prisons and Jails in California

The success of these programs in mitigating the harm caused by the opioid crisis is significant. In just over five years, CA Bridge has had a positive impact on the lives of people in California. In that way, California is indeed leading the way in comprehensive harm reduction programs in the U.S. Another area where California is ahead of the rest of the country is in the implementation of SUD treatment with MAT in prisons and jails.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) created a program called Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT)  to offer substance use disorder treatment – including MAT – to incarcerated individuals in California. The goals of ISUDT are in the CDCR are to “reduce SUD-related morbidity and mortality, and recidivism.”

We’ll report on the outcomes of the ISUDT in Part III of our Harm Reduction in California series. We’ll also shine a light on the ongoing work of our Director of Government Relations (California), Javier Moreno. Javier coordinates our effort to bring MAT to prisons and jails in Califiornia. He works closely with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS). Together, they manage programs that support incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Also, whenever possible, Javier works to offer continuing MAT services, counseling, and therapy upon release from incarceration.

We’re committed to the harm reduction effort in California: look for Part III in this series to learn more.

The post Harm Reduction in California Part II: The California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

Over 3/4^th of the overdose fatalities we describe above involved opioids. From prescription opioids such as oxycontin to illicit opioids such as heroin, opioid addiction can have a devastating effect on individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live.

Here’s the most recent information on the situation, as published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

Overdose Fatalities: 2019-2022

• 2019:
  • 50,178 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 67,697 overdose deaths
• 2020:
  • 70,029 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 93,655 overdose deaths
• 2021:
  • 80,816 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 107,622 overdose deaths
• 2022:
  • 82,807 opioid-related overdose deaths
  • 109,360 overdose deaths

The steady increase in overdose deaths reflected in these numbers convinced lawmakers to allocate millions of dollars in funding to harm reduction programs. California was one of the first states in the country to commit to harm reduction almost ten years ago.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. indicates that harm reduction services can:

• Help people access addiction treatment
• Increase access to naloxone
• Supply naloxone to first responder
• Decrease transmission of disease
• Decrease overdose fatalities
• Increase access to addiction assessment/treatment in primary care settings
• Increase access to addiction assessment/treatment in emergency room settings
• Decrease stigma around addiction and addiction treatment
• Improve treatment outcomes by including people in recovery to help create and initiate harm reduction programs
• Increase access to social services to improve the lives of people with SUD and/or OUD

This position statement from SAMHSA reinforces the fact that this is an effective, data-driven approach to helping people with substance use disorder (SUD). In fact, harm reduction programs present the best possible way to reverse steady upward trend in drug overdose deaths in the U.S. To learn more about harm reduction, please navigate to the blog section of our website and read the following articles:

Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know, Part One

Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know, Part Two

Now let’s answer a question you may have. We talk about the benefits of harm reduction above, but what is harm reduction?

Harm Reduction: A Basic Definition

For a full review of the principles and practices of harm reduction in the U.S., please read the articles we link to above. We’ll quickly review the essentials here, in order to set the stage for discussing harm reduction initiatives in California.

Here’s how The National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) define harm reduction:

“Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative physical and social consequences associated with drug use.”

In addition, the principles of harm reduction include a basic acknowledgment of the direct relationship between harm reduction and foundational human rights:

“Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.”

In the United States, one component of this approach is an attempt to correct the mistakes and unintended negative consequences of our previous national strategy to reduce drug use and related problems in the 1980s and 1990s, which we called the war on drugs. This is not news to many of us, but it’s plain to see: the war on drugs didn’t work.

The war-like posture toward drug use included focusing on the criminal component of drug use. Policies focused on increasing arrests for use, possession, and distribution of drugs and establishing policies like mandatory minimum sentences and three-strikes laws. In retrospect, we can see that this approach – while it may have put some violent criminals behind bars – ended up stigmatizing drug use, and by extension. stigmatized treatment for drug use.

Data over the past thirty years show that the best approach to reducing drug use and addiction is harm reduction. In California, Pinnacle Treatment Centers offers a core element of harm reduction – medication assisted treatment (MAT) – at over 40 locations across California, including these five:

1. Aegis Treatment Centers Oxnard in Oxnard, CA

2. Aegis Treatment Centers Stockton 5th Street in Stockton, CA

3. Aegis Treatment Centers Stockton California Street in Stockton, CA

4. Aegis Treatment Centers Stockton Lower Sacramento Rd. in Stockton, CA

5. Aegis Treatment Redlands in Redlands, CA

We’re committed to offering harm reduction services like medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to as many people as possible. These locations, along with our additional treatment centers across the state, can help improve the lives of individuals and families living in the communities of Oxnard, Stockton, and Redlands.

Now let’s take a look at the harm reduction initiatives currently in place in the state of California.

California Adopts Harm Reduction Programs

There’s a common adage that appears across a wide range of endeavors we undertake:

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

To that end – improving the lives of people in California by taking proactive steps to address the opioid crisis, the California Department of Public Health created a public overdose surveillance dashboard to report the latest information on the drug overdose crisis in California. Up-to-date, reliable data is essential for policymakers, treatment providers, and community advocates. It helps them to target underserved communities and allocate resources to where they’re needed most.

Anyone can check the dashboard for the latest information on:

• Overdose deaths
• Hospital visits for opioid overdose
• Opioid prescription rates
• Links to all pubic addiction support programs in California
• Links to harm reduction programs

This public overdose surveillance system exemplifies the potential benefits of getting citizens and leaders on the same page: real change that impacts real people in real ways. California led the way in their response to the opioid crisis in the U.S. In 2014, government officials formed the  Statewide Opioid Safety Workgroup (SOS) that elicited the participation of all stakeholders – public, private, individual – to brainstorm a way to mitigate the significant harm caused by the opioid crisis.

Among other things, the SOS workgroup identified areas where the state could implement harm-reduction programs.

Harm Reduction in California: Current and Future Focus Areas

1. Expanding access to medication-assisted-treatment (MAT)
2. Expanding access to naloxone, an overdose reversal medication
3. Expanding clean and safe syringe service programs (SSPs)
4. Increase support for underserved populations in high-risk settings
5. Expand access to all SUD treatment, including warm handoff programs in emergency rooms
6. Increase treatment support in prisons and jails with the Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) program

We’ll elaborate on the ISUDT effort in a forthcoming article on the use of MAT in prisons and jails in California. We currently support incarcerated patients with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone in several locations in California. Whenever possible, we also support patients upon release from incarceration with ongoing MAT services, counseling, and therapy.

Our Director of California Government Relations, Javier Moreno, leads the way on our work offering MAT prisons and jails, forging important, long-lasting relationships with key members of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS).

We’ll talk more about Javier’s important, lifesaving work with ISUDT in Part III of this Harm Reduction in California series of articles.

In Part II, we’ll review another positive outcome of the SOS workgroup: the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI), a program established by the state in 2019.

The post Harm Reduction in California Part I: The SOS Workgroup appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

What is a Methadone Clinic?

A methadone clinic is a treatment center – also known as an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) – that has met all the federal requirements to treat people with a medication called methadone. Methadone is a full opioid agonist, which means it completely occupies opioid receptors in the brain without causing the euphoria and elevated mood associated with opioid intoxication. Because it fully occupies opioid receptors, it also prevents other types of opioids – including illicit opioids like heroin or prescription opioids like oxycontin – from acting on the brain.

Methadone is one of three medications called medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of opioid addiction, heroin addiction, and addiction to other opioids, such as prescription pain relievers and illicit fentanyl. Together, MOUDs are the primary component in medication-assisted treatment, which experts consider the most effective treatment available for opioid addiction.

Medication-assisted treatment is part of an approach to opioid addiction/heroin treatment called harm reduction, endorsed and funded by the State Government of New Jersey with the passage of an important legislative package in 2022.

Here’s how New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy describes harm reduction:

“Over the last four years, my Administration has prioritized a comprehensive, data-driven approach to ending New Jersey’s opioid epidemic. Harm reduction is a cornerstone of our strategy. We are paving the way for critical services to help people with substance use disorders stay healthy, stay alive, and thrive.”

For people in treatment at a methadone clinic for heroin addiction or opioid addiction, medications such as methadone can:

• Block the effect of opioids on the brain and body
• Normalize brain chemistry
• Stop the euphoric and pleasurable effects of opioids
• Decrease frequency and intensity of opioid cravings
• Reduce the symptoms of withdrawal from opioids

In addition, addiction treatment with methadone is associated with:

• Increased time-in-treatment
• Decreased opioid use
• Decreased criminal behavior/involvement with justice system
• Increased ability to find and maintain employment
• Increased ability to participate in family or school life
• Decreased overdose risk
• Decreased overall opioid-related mortality (death)

Addiction treatment is available – but how do you know if you or a loved one needs it?

Opioid Addiction, Heroin Addiction, Prescription Opioid Addiction: Warning Signs

Families seeking a Methadone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ should understand that the sooner a person who needs heroin treatment or opioid treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome. If you think you or someone you love has opioid use disorder (OUD), you can look for two types of warning signs: physical signs and behavioral signs.

Physical Signs of Opioid Addiction:

• Unexplained accidents or injuries
• Shaking hands or other physical tremors
• Neglect of appearance and hygiene
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Slurred or agitated speech
• Clammy palms
• Red, watery eyes
• Tiny pupils
• Poor physical coordination
• Unusual odors on breath, body, or clothes
• Needle marks on arms, legs, or feet
• Shaking hands or other physical tremors

Behavioral Signs of Opioid Addiction:

• Emotional instability
• Significant personality changes
• Decline in work or academic performance
• Increased anger, resentment, and sensitivity
• Decreased ability to focus
• Failure to keep commitments
• Apathy
• Stealing
• Lying
• Loss of interest in lifelong hobbies or passions
• Secretive activity/hiding things

If you see these warning signs in yourself or a loved one, we recommend seeking a professional assessment with an addiction treatment professional.  After a comprehensive assessment, an experienced treatment professional can make a referral or recommendation for treatment at a methadone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ.

Treatment for Addiction at Pinnacle Treatment Centers

Medication-assisted treatment at a methadone clinic is about more than the medication. In fact, the best methadone clinics follow the integrated treatment model, which is a holistic, all-of-the-above approach to addiction treatment. After a full biological, psychological, and social assessment, the treatment experts at Delaware Valley Medical create plan that includes a custom-tailored combination of cutting-edge therapeutic techniques, including:

Components of Integrated Treatment in Pennsauken, NJ

• Psychotherapy/Counseling: Individual, group, and family.
• Medication (if needed): methadone, Suboxone, naltrexone
• Lifestyle changes: Diet, Exercise, Stress management, Sleep hygiene
• Education: Classes/ workshops on the science of addiction and recovery
• Complementary supports: Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness
• Community/Peer support: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), SMART Recovery
• Aftercare/Case Management/Ongoing Support: Relapse prevention, connections to medical services, connections to social services

Families or individuals seeking addiction treatment should ensure that the facility offers more than just medication, but should also understand that the inability to access the additional services should not prevent them from engaging in treatment. A foundational principle of harm reduction is to meet people where they are and offer treatment in a manner they can accept.

Treatment Locators for Pennsauken, NJ

We encourage people in need of a methadone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ to contact us at Delaware Valley Medical. However, doing your due diligence is important. If treatment at a Pinnacle Facility doesn’t meet immediate needs, please use the following resources:

• New Jersey Treatment locator: Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
• Adults without insurance: 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465
• IME Addiction Access Center: call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 referral support
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) online treatment locator

The Opioid Crisis: Facts and Figures for the U.S. and Camden County, NJ

Since 1999, over a million people have died of drug overdose in the U.S., and about ¾ of those fatalities involved opioids. Here’s a quick look at overdose deaths between 2001 and 2022 nationwide. These figures are available on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Overdose Fatalities, 2001-2022: United States

• 2001: 19,394
• 2006: 34,415
• 2011: 41,340
• 2016: 63,632
• 2021: 106,699
• 2022: 108,388

That’s a staggering 458% increase over the past 21 years. Now let’s look at the specific data for Camden County for the past six years, where we operate Delaware Valley Medical, a methadone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ. These figures are available to the public at both the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data resource page.

Overdose Fatalities, Opioids, Camden County 2018-2023

• 2018: 327
• 2019: 340
• 2020: 288
• 2021: 335
• 2022: 354
• 2023: 326

These overdose numbers demonstrate a clear need for methadone clinic services in Pennsauken, NJ, which includes heroin treatment and opioid addiction treatment. Individuals or families seeking addiction treatment should understand that methadone treatment is one part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with medications of opioid use disorder (MOUD), and that MAT with MOUD is considered the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), including heroin addiction and prescription opioid addiction.

Remember: the sooner a person who needs treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome.

The post Finding a Methadone Clinic in Pennsauken, NJ appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

What is a Suboxone Clinic?

A suboxone clinic is a treatment center that has met all the federal requirements to treat people with a medication called buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, which means it partially prevents opioids from acting on the brain. In a suboxone clinic, buprenorphine is often administered in a formulation that includes an additional medication called naltrexone. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist, meaning it completely block all opioids from acting on the brain. When naltrexone and buprenorphine are combined, the medication is called Suboxone. The naltrexone component of Suboxone is an abuse deterrent, because it prevents any euphoric effect from any opioid, and also prevents misuse of Suboxone.

Medication-assisted treatment is part of an approach to opioid addiction/heroin treatment endorsed and funded by the State Government of New Jersey with the passage of an important legislative package in 2022.

Here’s how New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy describes harm reduction:

“Over the last four years, my Administration has prioritized a comprehensive, data-driven approach to ending New Jersey’s opioid epidemic. Harm reduction is a cornerstone of our strategy. We are paving the way for critical services to help people with substance use disorders stay healthy, stay alive, and thrive.”

For people in treatment at a Suboxone clinic for heroin addiction/opioid addiction, medications such as Suboxone can:

• Block the effect of opioids on the brain and body
• Normalize brain chemistry
• Stop the euphoric and pleasurable effects of opioids
• Decrease frequency and intensity of opioid cravings
• Reduce the symptoms of withdrawal from opioids

In addition, addiction treatment with Suboxone is associated with:

• Increased time-in-treatment
• Decreased opioid use
• Decreased criminal behavior/involvement with justice system
• Increased ability to find and maintain employment
• Increased ability to participate in family or school life
• Decreased overdose risk
• Decreased overall opioid-related mortality (death)

Addiction treatment is available – but how do you know if you or a loved one needs it?

Opioid Addiction, Heroin Addiction, Prescription Opioid Addiction: Warning Signs

Families seeking a Suboxone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ should understand that the sooner a person who needs heroin treatment or opioid treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome. If you think you or someone you love has opioid use disorder (OUD), you can look for two types of warning signs: physical signs and behavioral signs.

Physical Signs of Opioid Addiction:

• Unexplained accidents or injuries
• Shaking hands or other physical tremors
• Neglect of appearance and hygiene
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Slurred or agitated speech
• Clammy palms
• Red, watery eyes
• Tiny pupils
• Poor physical coordination
• Unusual odors on breath, body, or clothes
• Needle marks on arms, legs, or feet
• Shaking hands or other physical tremors

Behavioral Signs of Opioid Addiction:

• Emotional instability
• Significant personality changes
• Decline in work or academic performance
• Increased anger, resentment, and sensitivity
• Decreased ability to focus
• Failure to keep commitments
• Apathy
• Stealing
• Lying
• Loss of interest in lifelong hobbies or passions
• Secretive activity/hiding things

If you see these warning signs in yourself or a loved one, we recommend seeking a professional assessment with an addiction treatment professional.  After a comprehensive assessment, an experienced treatment professional can make a referral or recommendation for treatment at a suboxone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ.

Treatment for Addiction at Pinnacle Treatment Centers

Medication-assisted treatment at a Suboxone clinic is about more than the medication. In fact, the best Suboxone clinics follow the integrated treatment model, which is a holistic, all-of-the-above approach to addiction treatment. After a full biological, psychological, and social assessment, the treatment experts at Delaware Valley Medical create plan that includes a custom-tailored combination of cutting-edge therapeutic techniques, including:

Components of Integrated Treatment in Pennsauken, NJ

• Psychotherapy/Counseling: Individual, group, and family.
• Medication (if needed): Suboxone, methadone, naltrexone
• Lifestyle changes: Diet, Exercise, Stress management, Sleep hygiene
• Education: Classes/ workshops on the science of addiction and recovery
• Complementary supports: Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness
• Community/Peer support: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), SMART Recovery
• Aftercare/Case Management/Ongoing Support: Relapse prevention, connections to medical services, connections to social services

Families or individuals seeking addiction treatment should ensure that the facility offers more than just medication, but should also understand that the inability to access the additional services should not prevent them from engaging in treatment. A foundational principle of harm reduction is to meet people where they are and offer treatment in a manner they can accept.

Treatment Locators for Pennsauken, NJ

We encourage people in need of a Suboxone Clinic in Pennsauken, NJ to contact us at Delaware Valley Medical. However, doing your due diligence is important. If   treatment at a Pinnacle Facility doesn’t meet immediate needs, please use the following resources:

• New Jersey Treatment locator: Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
• Adults without insurance: 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465
• IME Addiction Access Center: call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 referral support
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) online treatment locator

The Opioid Crisis: Facts and Figures for the U.S. and Camden County, NJ

Since 1999, over a million people have died of drug overdose in the U.S., and about ¾ of those fatalities involved opioids. Here’s a quick look at overdose deaths between 2001 and 2022 nationwide. These figures are available on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Overdose Fatalities, 2001-2022: United States

• 2001: 19,394
• 2006: 34,415
• 2011: 41,340
• 2016: 63,632
• 2021: 106,699
• 2022: 108,388

That’s a staggering 458% increase over the past 21 years. Now let’s look at the specific data for Camden County for the past six years, where we operate Delaware Valley Medical, a suboxone clinic in Pennsauken, NJ. These figures are available to the public at both the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data resource page.

Overdose Fatalities, Opioids, Camden County 2018-2023

• 2018: 327
• 2019: 340
• 2020: 288
• 2021: 335
• 2022: 354
• 2023: 326

These overdose numbers demonstrate a clear need for suboxone clinic services in Pennsauken, NJ, which includes heroin treatment and opioid addiction treatment. Individuals or families seeking addiction treatment should understand that suboxone treatment is one part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with medications of opioid use disorder (MOUD), and that MAT with MOUD is considered the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), including heroin addiction and prescription opioid addiction.

Remember: the sooner a person who needs treatment gets the treatment they need, the better the outcome.

The post How to Find a Suboxone Clinic in Pennsauken, NJ appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

The HEAL initiative provided 36 million dollars for harm reduction research. This money funds pilot programs related to eight areas key essential to bringing harm reduction services to people in need:

1. Education
2. Overdose prevention/reversal
3. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
4. Needle & syringe programs
5. Drug consumptions rooms
6. Drug checking programs
7. Housing support
8. Legal services

We’ll discuss each of the program areas below. We’ll describe how they can help meet the objective that drives all harm reduction programs in the U.S. That objective? Reverse the ongoing, upward trend in drug addiction and overdose called the opioid crisis. Since 1999, the crisis has claimed over a million lives and caused significant harm to millions of others.

Harm Reduction Policies and Programs

We describe the fundamental principles and theoretical foundation for harm reduction in addiction treatment part one of this article. Now we’ll share how we – meaning treatment providers alongside local, state, and federal government entities – plan to apply these principles in public policies and programs with the help of funding provided initiative like HEAL.

These eight program areas – while not the sum total of harm reduction efforts nationwide – represent the priorities for effective harm reduction as established by the non-profit advocacy group Harm Reduction International (HRI), endorsed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and prioritized in our revised National Drug Control Strategy, developed in 2022.

1. Education and Awareness

Education programs provide people the real information about drugs, drug use, and addiction treatment. In the context of harm reduction in addiction treatment, education classes include specific information on opioid use and opioid use disorder (OUD), including the harms associated with OUD and how to address them. In addition, harm reduction education programs include offering workshops and classes about how to access social services, including vocational programs, housing support, adult education, general health care, and addiction treatment.

Another component of education and awareness around harm reduction is sharing basic information about harm reduction to people with no direct connection to drug use or the opioid crisis. We understand that at first blush, some parts of harm reduction – needle and syringe programs and drug consumption rooms, for instance – may seem unusual, counterproductive, or too progressive. Educating the public about why their tax dollars should go to these programs is important in maintaining support for ongoing funding and commitment to harm reduction.

2. Overdose Prevention and Reversal Programs

Education about drug use and the risks of opioid use and opioid overdose is the best tool we have to prevent overdose, because effective education can prevent the behavior that leads to illicit drug use before it happens.

Harm reduction programs spend significant time and energy on advocating a medication called Narcan, which contains the medication naloxone. When administered correctly and in time, Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose and dramatically reduce the likelihood of death. It’s a lifesaving drug, which, thanks to federal funding and the new national drug control policy, is now readily available nationwide from both pharmacies and public/community health clinics.

Making Narcan easily available to people who use opioids – or their friends or loved ones – means they have access to the same medication emergency medical personnel like paramedics use when they respond to an overdose call. When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Narcan for over-the-counter sale on March 2023, it was an important step that harm reduction experts have been recommending for years.

Let’s make that clear for anyone reading this who uses opioids or has friends or loved ones who use opioids: you can now get Narcan from a pharmacy without a prescription. Having Narcan on hand can save a life. Therefore, we recommend considering finding Narcan and keeping it close: it saves lives.

3. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Programs

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), also known as opioid agonist therapy, involves the use of three medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD): buprenorphine (Suboxone), Methadone, and Naltrexone.

While Naltrexone completely blocks the action of opioids in the brain and prevents both the analgesic and euphoric properties of opioids, buprenorphine and methadone act in a slightly different manner. They occupy opioid receptors, which reduces cravings, decreases the severity of withdrawal symptoms, and helps people with opioid use disorder (OUD) reach a physical, emotional, and psychological space where they can engage in treatment and start on the road to recovery.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) consider MAT the gold standard treatment for people with opioid use disorder.

For more informant about MAT for OUD, please read these articles on our website:

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Suboxone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

In addition, there’s an increase in the number of programs that offer MAT to people incarcerated in prisons and jails. To learn more, please read this article by our Medical Director, Dr. Chris Johnston:

The Case for Medication-Assisted (MAT) Treatment in Jails and Prisons

4. Clean Needle/Syringe Programs

These programs can cause significant controversy and often lead to robust resistance from people who haven’t researched how or why they work. Needle and syringe programs provide clean needles/syringes for people who use illicit, intravenous drugs such as heroin. Opponents assert they promote and condone illicit intravenous drug use. However, evidence shows these programs are effective for the following reasons:

• Safe/clean needle/syringe programs prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including hepatitis C and HIV, by offering sterile needles/syringes to people at risk of reusing or sharing share needles/syringes.
• These programs get people who inject drugs off the street and out of unsanitary shooting galleries common to illicit IV drug use. They provide a safe atmosphere where people who use illicit IV drugs can talk about drug use – and the desire to enter treatment – in an atmosphere characterized by openness and understanding.
• Clean needle/syringe sites are most often managed by harm reduction advocates who help connect IV drug users to essential support, such as treatment for OUD, and lifesaving medication like Narcan.

5. Drug Consumption Rooms

This component of harm reduction also receives stiff resistance in the U.S. However, like clean needle/syringe programs, experts on treatment – including the  American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the American Medical Association (AMA) – fully support their use. A drug consumption room is a safe, clean place where a person can access and utilize safe supplies under direct supervision. Staff in these rooms can help connect IV drug users to treatment programs, offer emergency medical assistance if needed.

Research indicates drug consumption rooms decrease transmission of infectious disease, decrease drug-related criminal activity, crime associated with drug use, and decrease rates of fatal overdose. Data collected at the only two drug consumption sites in the U.S. – both in New York City – report the following data, after two years of operation:

• 4,486 total participants
• 117,559 visits to safe injection rooms
• 1,339 overdose reversals
• Over 2 million units of drug waste (used needles, etc.) collected

6. Fentanyl Testing/Checking Services

Drug testing services are now an integral component of harm reduction services. Over the past several years, the DEA reports an escalating presence of dangerous substances in illicit drugs. These include fentanyl and xylazine, which have been detected in heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and others. Drug testing/checking programs individuals to test a substance for the presence of dangerous substances like fentanyl.

7. Housing

Evidence shows that access to safe and stable housing can reduce drug use, drug addiction, and fatal drug overdose. In some cases, housing support for people with substance use disorder (SUD) requires abstinence, but others do not. Research indicates shows that programs like Housing First – a program that has no sobriety or abstinence requirements for access – can help decrease drug consumption and promote overall wellbeing for people in recovery who experience housing instability.

8. Legal Services

In the context of harm reduction, legal services are necessary on at least two levels: the personal and the public. On the individual level, attorneys or legal aid groups support people in the criminal justice system with various needs. They can help them with charges related to drug use, and advocate for access to evidence-based treatment. In the public sphere, attorneys and legal aid groups have work to do. They can help overturn laws, policies, or programs that stigmatize people with substance use disorder. They can also help facilitate the transition from a punitive system to a supportive, reform-based system. A reform-based system is one that provides access to a comprehensive array of harm reduction programs and services.

Reducing Harm: Essential to Our National Drug Control Strategy

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is currently in the process of writing a Harm Reduction Framework. The framework will establish a set of best practices to guide harm reduction in addiction treatment around the country. This is a crucial step. It will help implement the harm reduction priorities identified in the National Drug Control Strategy published in 2022 by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Harm reduction works. At Pinnacle Treatment Centers, we advocate comprehensive harm reduction services for everyone in need. Keep an eye on our blog for more information, and the next article in our Harm Reduction Series. We’ll discuss the latest harm reduction efforts in California, where we own and operate Aegis Treatment Centers/A Pinnacle Treatment Center Network. Our California locations offer a wide range of SUD treatment services, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT), a core component of the harm reduction approach to opioid addiction.

The post Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know, Part Two appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

In 2001, Portugal was a decade into an opioid addiction and overdose crisis similar to the one we’ve faced in the U.S. for the past twenty years. However, they took a radical approach: rather than looking at addiction as a criminal problem, they followed the advice of psychologists and healthcare professionals and decided to view addiction and overdose as a public health issue.

That changed everything.

Rather than jail people arrested for using heroin or other opioids immediately, a person arrested for opioid/heroin possession/use went before a three-person panel including a lawyer, a social worker, and a healthcare/addiction professional. There, the panel offered options: consent to and participate in addiction education and treatment, stay out of trouble for six months – i.e. no drug-related arrests – and authorities would drop the charges.

When we say that changed everything, here’s what happened.

Harm Reduction: The Data Speak

• By 2017, the number of heroin users in Portugal dropped by 75%, from around 100,000 to around 25,000.
• Overdose fatalities decreased by 90%:
  • 1999: 369
  • 2016: 30
• IV-drug related HIV infection decreased by 98%:
  • 2000: 901
  • 2017: 18
• Drug-related incarcerations decreased by 70%
  • 1999: 3,863
  • 2017: 1,140

For context, between 1999 and 2016, overdose fatalities in the U.S. increased by 278 percent, from 16,849 to 63,632. But that’s not all:

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows over 109,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdose between December 2022 and December 2023.

That’s why our paradigm has changed from the War on Drugs we declared in the 1980s to a new national policy, influenced by the success of harm reduction efforts in places like Portugal.

The Goals and Principles of Harm Reduction

First, let’s provide an updated, comprehensive definition of harm reduction, provided by the Here’s a non-profit harm reduction group Harm Reduction International (HRI):

“Harm reduction refers to policies, programs and practices that aim to minimize the negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws. Harm reduction is grounded in justice and human rights. It focuses on positive change and on working with people without judgement, coercion, discrimination, or requiring that people stop using drugs as a precondition of support.”

The unifying concept behind harm reduction is simple: shift from a punitive approach to a supportive approach, and implement policies and practices designed to reduce the negative consequences of drug addiction, which treatment professionals call substance use disorder (SUD).

Harm Reduction: Three Primary Goals

1. Save Lives

The first goal is to reduce and/or prevent fatalities associated with drug use. An important part of this goal is to use harm reduction services to help people who use drugs creates positive change in their lives, without making ultimatums, threats, or requiring immediate abstinence. Harm reduction programs always prioritize support and treatment over coercion and punishment.

2. Reverse Damage Caused by Old Policies

To move forward, we need to be honest with ourselves: The War on Drugs did not work. Negative outcomes of this national policy, adopted in the 1980s, include:

• Excess criminalization of drug use
• Disproportionate policing of people who use drugs
• Restricted access to care
• Restricted access to safe supplies
• Involuntary/forced/mandatory drug testing
• Incarceration and punishment as a first option, as opposed to treatment and rehabilitation
• Discrimination/vilification/stigmatization of people who use drugs
• Stigmatized seeking and engaging in addiction treatment

3. New Treatment Options and Treatment Approaches

Expanding access to evidence-based treatment is a core component of harm reduction. Not everyone who uses drugs is ready to engage in treatment, but most want to reduce the harm they experience as a result of drug use. That’s why one aspect of harm reduction is not making requiring abstinence a prerequisite for participating in harm reduction programs. Harm reduction advocates believe pursuing abstinence should be decided by the person using drugs, rather than establishing abstinence as a mandatory requirement for receiving harm reduction services.

Those goals are common to all aspects of harm reduction. Now we’ll look at the four principles of harm reduction, which inform all harm reduction programs.

The Core Principles of Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment

These four principles are a condensed version of the eight principles of harm reduction in addiction treatment as outlined by the National Harm Reduction Coalition here. For clarity and ease of understanding, we combined and streamlined aspects their list in order to help people new to idea of harm reduction understand the most important components without presenting an overwhelming amount of information.

Harm Reduction: Four Core Principles

1. Evidence-Based Approaches Only

Harm reduction policies and practices are based on decades of peer-reviewed research. All available data shows harm reduction practices work. Not only are they effective, but they’re also practical and inexpensive to initiate and maintain.

2. People First

In all harm reduction programs, providers treat participants with respect and compassion. Each person who seeks support from harm reduction programs is entitled to the same treatment we all expect when we seek medical care. People with substance use disorder (SUD) have the same core human rights as all citizens:

• The right to a healthy and fulfilling life
• Unrestricted access to effective health care
• Unrestricted access to supportive social services
• The right to privacy
• Freedom from unnecessary punishment
• Freedom from stigma, prejudice, and dehumanizing treatment

While it’s surprising we need to remind people of these rights, the fact is we that we do. Over the past fifty years, people who use drugs, particularly opioids and heroin, have been stigmatized and treated as second-class citizens. They’ve often been deprived of both rights and respect, rather than offered the treatment and support necessary to rebuild their lives. This principle is simple: treat people who seek support for addiction the way we treat people who seek support for any other chronic illness: with dignity and respect.

3. Equality, Justice, Mutuality

Harm reduction advocates ensure that no public or private institution restricts access to healthcare or social services for any of the following reasons:

• Drug use
• Race/ethnicity
• National origin
• Gender or gender identification
• Sexual orientation
• Work/employment status
• Socioeconomic status

Harm reduction also requires the direction participation of people who use drugs in the creating policies and implementing programs that directly impact their lives. This principle is best understood by this motto:

“Nothing About Us Without Us”

4. Eliminate/Decrease Stigma

Reducing is essential in both public and private domains. As a culture, it’s essential for us to move beyond our War on Drugs mentality.  We need to drop that bellicose attitude on an interpersonal level, meaning how we talk amongst ourselves and with people who use drugs about drug use and addiction treatment. We also need to eliminate the warlike/battle/fighting imagery in our public policy and programs. Yes, we will fight to help people, but we need to be careful, because people who use drugs are not enemies: they’re our friends and family members, not combatants in a war.

Harm reduction programs can reduce or eliminate stigma and barriers to care by meeting people where they are and offering support in a manner they’ll accept. Harm reduction in addiction treatment emphasizes using person-first, evidence-based language rather than defaulting to the stigmatizing language of the past.  Rather than junkie, we say a person with opioid use disorder. Rather than a drunk/alcoholic, we say a person with alcohol use disorder.

This simple change can lead to a deep cultural change, but it will take time, and it will take all of us to remember how important language is: it can harm, and it can heal. The language of harm reduction is the language of healing.

Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: Our National Strategy

We’re honored to be among the primary providers of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) nationwide. MAT the gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), and an integral component of a comprehensive harm reduction initiative.

In Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: Everything You Need to Know, Part Two, we’ll talk about the eight foundational policy and program initiatives associated with a funding initiative called HEAL: Helping to End Addiction Long-Term, initiated in 2022. The HEAL program received 36 million dollars to explore and implement harm reduction strategies across the U.S., in our first major commitment to harm reduction to address the ongoing opioid addiction and overdose crisis.

The post Harm Reduction in Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know, Part One appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

Read about the grand opening in the Turlock Journal:

Turlock’s First Methadone Clinic Opens on Lander

At our new Turlock location – licensed and accredited by the California State Department of Health Care Services – we offer medication-assisted treatment with methadone and Suboxone (buprenorphine).

Call us today to learn more: (209) 353-4838

The post Aegis Treatment Centers Turlock Opens: Methadone and Suboxone Services in California appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

And here’s our definition of harm reduction: “Harm reduction is a tactic that prioritizes minimizing adverse consequences from drug abuse as a first step before promoting abstinence. It includes measures like education and spreading awareness, supervised consumption sites, naloxone distribution, and needle exchange programs, aiming to reduce overdose deaths, transmission of infections, and associated health issues while encouraging a non-judgmental approach to support individuals on their path to recovery.”

You can see how the SDOH and harm reduction are related. Both approach substance use disorder (SUD) treatment – a.k.a. addiction treatment – from a holistic perspective. Both consider the importance of external factors that impact both the development of and treatment for SUD.

To explore the topic of harm reduction in depth, please navigate to the blog section of our website and read these two articles:

The Opioid Crisis: What is Harm Reduction?

National Harm Reduction Research Effort Could Reduce Overdose Deaths

Harm reduction practices can help us mitigate the damage caused to individuals, families, and communities by the ongoing opioid and overdose crisis in the U.S. Addressing the social determinants of health while pursuing harm reduction efforts is essential: the two ideas go hand in hand, and in tandem, can help expand our concept of holistic, integrated care further, into areas that have proven benefit for people in recovery, but are not yet part of mainstream SUD treatment.

Why the Social Determinants of Health Matter

This statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) summarizes the impact of the SDOH:

“Research shows that the social determinants can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health. For example, numerous studies suggest that SDOH account for between 30-55% of health outcomes. In addition, estimates show that the contribution of sectors outside health to population health outcomes exceeds the contribution from the health sector.”

This statement also reaffirms the connection between harm reduction and SDOH. With regards to SUD treatment and recovery, it reminds us – or teaches some of us for the first time – factors aside from the substances themselves, abstinence, and the treatment process play a more significant role than most of us realize.

The Department of HHS indicate five primary domains related to the SDOH:

1. Economic Stability
2. Education Access and Quality
3. Health Care Access and Quality
4. Neighborhood and Built Environment
5. Social and Community Context

The SDOH can have either a positive or negative impact on overall health and wellness. Consider the following:

• Positive Impact on Health and Wellness:
  • Safe neighborhoods
  • Access to affordable housing and transportation
  • Access to education and employment opportunities
  • Opportunity to engage in safe, healthy outdoor activities
  • Access to social support programs
• Negative Impact on Health and Wellness:
  • Violence in community
  • Racism/discrimination in community
  • Air and water pollution
  • Reduced access to healthy food
  • Reduced access to health care

Here’s another connection between harm reduction and the SDOH: when we address them, we reduce the amount of harm external, environmental factors might cause people in recovery from SUD. Now let’s look at how we can address and improve the SDOH, with information from an excellent publication from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) called “Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity.”

Reducing Harm by Addressing the Social Determinants of Health

KFF defines the SDOH as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age,” which is an excellent and concise way to think about them. In contrast to the HHS approach to the SDOH, the KFF report expands them to six domains, as opposed to the five identified by HHS. We’ll use the KFF categories to talk about how we, as a collective working toward a common goal – reducing the harm caused by the opioid and overdose crisis – can help improve the lives of people in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD).

Economic Stability

Improving economic stability means increasing opportunities to seek and gain employment. Having a job allows an individual to make a steady income to cover living expenses, medical bills, education, and recreation.

Neighborhood and Physical Environment

Improving neighborhoods and the physical environment means increasing access to safe housing, expanding public transportation, ensuring physical safety at all times, and expanding the amount of greenspace/recreational space present in each neighborhood, whether urban, suburban, exurban, or rural.

Education

Improving education means starting early with pre-K and kindergarten programs for young kids, ensuring safe elementary, middle, and high schools for school age students, and expanding funding and access to literacy programs, language learning, higher education, and vocational training for adults.

Food

Addressing issues around food and eating means reducing the amount of hunger and hungry people in our communities through expanding existing social support programs that provide resources for adults in the community and children at school, and reducing the phenomenon of food deserts by increasing access to healthy options in traditionally underserved neighborhoods.

Community and Social Context

Improving the community and social context in which people live their lives means increasing funding and access to social support systems and services, increasing community engagement and eliciting the involvement of community members and direct stakeholders, reducing discrimination in underserved neighborhoods, and addressing increasing levels of environmental, interpersonal, and social stress present in each neighborhood, area, or community – rural, urban, or other.

Health Care

Improving health and health care – an area with which we’re familiar – means increasing insurance coverage for people who lack coverage, increasing the amount of providers in underserved areas, expanding and improving access to care, increasing cultural competency among providers, i.e. providing helpful language and cultural liaison services in health care, and finally, improving the overall quality of health care in traditionally underserved communities.

The Role of Communities in the Opioid Crisis and Harm Reduction

The social determinants of health are about improving the default living conditions in underserved communities across the country. When we say underserved, what we mean is communities which, for most of their history, have not experienced equity in domains like basic safety, education, health care, transportation, and access to affordable and healthy food. Deficits in these areas degrade quality of life, and improvements in these areas increase the quality of life.

It’s really that simple. Addressing the social determinants of health, by definition, reduces the chance of health-related harms in a community, including those related to the substance use that drives the opioid and overdose crisis.

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