EXTRA: The Opioid Tragedy — How We Got Here

This podcast episode explores different aspects of opioid addiction and its treatment, including the decline in opioid deaths, the effectiveness and challenges of buprenorphine treatment, the barriers to prescribing buprenorphine, the debate between medication-assisted treatment and abstinence-based programs, the underlying causes of opioid addiction, federal policy towards medication-assisted treatment, the concept of a warm handoff in addiction recovery, personal stories of recovery, the stigma associated with using Suboxone, harm reduction strategies, and the need for simplifying the dialogue around opioid addiction. The episode highlights the complexity of the issue and emphasizes the importance of compassionate care, support networks, and evidence-based treatment options in addressing the opioid crisis.