AUDIO – LIVES AT RISK –
May 18, 2025 – I vividly remember growing up and my grandmother warning me to be careful with alcohol — because addiction “runs in our family.” She wasn’t wrong. For generations, both sides of my family struggled with harmful alcohol use. I witnessed heavy drinking, explosive fights and relatives joking that I was being raised “street smart” by being around their substance use.
With determination to change the narrative for other families like mine, I went on to study addiction for over a decade. I pursued a career as an addiction scientist while raising three young kids, driven by the motivation to ensure people had access to the help my family never did.
Because of the tireless work of researchers, clinicians, peers and advocates, we now have effective, evidence-based treatments for addiction. We know what works and that recovery is possible. But this progress is under direct threat from the Trump administration. I am deeply concerned about what this means for the millions of Americans impacted by addiction, across the country and right here in New Mexico.
