CleanSlate Blog

The daily headlines about the opioid epidemic are tragic and overwhelming. And the numbing news onslaught rarely even includes the other epidemic, alcoholism, which accounts for more than double the deaths each year than those from opioids. 

But the disease of addiction doesn't claim everyone it touches. Millions of Americans who once suffered from substance use disorder (SUD) have achieved recovery and gone on to completely transform their lives. These inspiring stories are common, and they don't get nearly the attention they deserve.

National Recovery Month aims to change that balance. Every September, Recovery Month provides a platform to celebrate those who have achieved recovery and to offer awareness and hope around SUD and mental health.  

Alexandria, IN  - CleanSlate Centers, a national leader in outpatient medication treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, is now seeing patients by appointment or walk-in at its new center in Alexandria, Indiana. The office-based center, located at 101 Harrison St., Alexandria, serves as an extension of CleanSlate's busy center in nearby Anderson, and is the company's ninth center across the state. Less than a month after opening its doors, CleanSlate's Alexandria center is already seeing 50 patients.

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event to commemorate the thousands of lives lost every year to overdose.

The annual observation is also designed to reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and raise support for effective, evidence-based drug policies that save lives.

In Pennsylvania, the opioid epidemic has killed more people than any other health crisis in the state’s modern history, with fatal overdoses ranking the fourth highest in the country. The disaster is so acute that Governor Tom Wolf last year issued the first-ever Statewide Disaster Declaration for a public health crisis in Pennsylvania. Wolf and other state leaders are working harder than ever to increase access to treatment, including outpatient medication treatment.

Dr. Julie O'Hara is one medication treatment expert who has answered the call of this battle. Recently named for the second time a "Top Doc for Addiction Medicine" in Philadelphia, O'Hara brings her own harrowing experience to her role as Center Medical Director for CleanSlate's two outpatient addiction centers in Philadelphia as well as its center in Scranton. O'Hara's journey facing addiction personally has given her a remarkable ability to connect with patients in ways that have made her popular and beloved throughout her career in addiction medicine.

Louisville, KY – CleanSlate Centers, a national leader in outpatient medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, is now seeing patients by appointment or walk-in at its new center in Louisville, Kentucky. The office-based center, located at 210 E. Gray St, Suite 803, Louisville, began seeing patients last month. 

“We’ve been able to see most patients within 24 hours, and it’s been truly rewarding to extend hope and relief for patients and their families struggling with the diseases of opioid and alcohol addiction," said Cory McConnell, Expansion Business Partner for CleanSlate.

Racine, WI - CleanSlate, a national leader in medication treatment for addiction, is now seeing patients by appointment or walk-in at its new center in Racine, Wisconsin. The center, located at 5439 Durand Ave., Suite 103, marks CleanSlate's third outpatient addiction medicine center in Wisconsin, along with Glendale and Waukesha, and the company's 48th across eight states and Washington, D.C. The center can be reached for appointment scheduling at 262-833-9320. 

This note is from a patient who wishes to remain anonymous:

"I am sharing my personal testimony today with the hope that it will help others who suffer with addiction.

I have been in and out of rehabilitation for alcohol in the last 4 years. The rehabilitation process may work well for many; however, not so much for me! In my personal experience, it is easy to abstain from alcohol in a contained environment. They provide counseling, which give tools to help restructure old behaviors and mindfulness thinking. These two elements are essential for recovery; however in isolation, do they work in the “real world?” 

America’s workforce is being hollowed out by the opioid epidemic. And amidst the skyrocketing rates of addiction, businesses across every industry are reckoning with the best approach to protect, retain and hire employees. 

Those of us who work in the field of addiction, or suffer from addiction ourselves, know the stigma that surrounds this illness.

There's another disorder so laden with stigma that treatment is often roadblocked: mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in 5 Americans (43.8 million) experiences mental illness, and nearly 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in America live with a serious mental illness that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. As with addiction, the barrier of shame, fear and silence prevent far too many people from seeking help.

And often, addiction and mental illness are connected. This only compounds the stigma that makes treatment for both disorders difficult to access.