OPINION by Ryan Hampton –

Dec. 31, 2020 – Recovery works — I’m living proof — but it requires community-based, long-term support. Connections, whether with friends and family, support groups or other types of programs, are critical to recovery. The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted support and services, amplified stress and anxiety, and added physical distancing requirements to people already feeling isolated. Those factors have made it even harder for people to take the first step toward remission from substance use disorder.

As a result, experts have called for more resources and heightened intervention to reduce substance use disorders since early in the pandemic. With little action from federal and state governments over the past 10 months, however, we are starting to see alarming trends.

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