CleanSlate Blog

Amidst the daily drumbeat of tragedy wrought by the opioid epidemic, the faint sound of occasional progress offers hope. But nothing is easy with this complex public health crisis, and even promising advancements in saving lives don't always tell the whole story.

A few nights ago, I was proud to attend the ribbon cutting event for CleanSlate’s new medication-assisted treatment (MAT) center in Milwaukee. Given that Milwaukee, like every corner of America, is besieged by the opioid epidemic, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that three news stations covered the event. Cities are starving for signs of progress, and CleanSlate is quickly opening centers across the country (33 and counting) to help desperate patients suffering from the disease of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). What makes CleanSlate’s outpatient model so exciting is that we can deliver evidence-based, quality care at scale, and can quickly ramp up to have a major impact on the communities we serve. That’s good news worth covering.

But Wisconsin has another major problem with substance use disorders that gets less attention than opioids: alcoholism.

Last year, the scary Florida headlines that made international news were all about the dreaded Zika virus. When Zika was discovered in Miami’s hip Wynwood neighborhood, the world panicked and the local economy began taking a dive. Hotel bookings, airfares, local merchants - much of South Florida’s business artery took a hit as visitors began staying away.

Pop quiz: True or False?

1. Addiction is a moral problem.
2. People with substance abuse disorders choose to continue using drugs.
3. Addiction is not a health condition and those addicted are to blame for their problems.

Answers:  False, false, false.

But each statement reflects common, widely-held attitudes and prejudices.

It’s 9/11 every 2.5 weeks.

This is how to conceptualize the jaw-dropping toll of opioid deaths in the U.S., according to Gov. Chris Christie, who chaired the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis (which CleanSlate Board Member Patrick J. Kennedy helped prepare).

The irony is that many of these victims are the very people who return from post-9/11 deployments.

Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sponsors National Recovery Month to raise awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate those in recovery. It’s the impetus for a lot of good in the addiction treatment community. At CleanSlate Centers, our employees did some great things to support National Recovery Month, and I couldn’t be any prouder to be part of this team.

But here’s the truth our patients face on the front lines of the addiction battle: There won’t be fewer people who die from opioid-related overdoses in October, November or December. There won’t be a drastic drop in friends, neighbors, family members who are impacted by this epidemic. The CDC says 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose – that means January 1 through December 31.