Advocates For Opioid Recovery
Advocates For Opioid Recovery is a non-profit organization spearheaded by Newt Gingrich, Patrick Kennedy, and Van Jones. The group is dedicated to advancing evidence-based treatment to better address the effects of America’s opioid addiction dilemma.
A main focus of the organization is breaking down regulatory barriers that exist in patient access to recovery medications like methadone and buprenorphine (found in the popular suboxone). Advocates for Opioid Recovery aim to save lives by steering public support and funding into opioid addiction treatment. They recognize opioid addiction as a modern epidemic in which impediments to treatment create needless fatalities.
A large block quote on their website reads:
“Thousands of people are dying waiting for access to opioid addiction treatment.”
Educating the public on opioid addiction’s toll is part of the mission of Advocates For Opioid Recovery. Highlighted on the website is that 47,000 people died in 2014 from drug overdose, and also that death by prescription drugs has now surpassed both auto fatalities and gun violence.
The group bases their advocacy on the science that addiction is a treatable illness and that medication-assistance, in particular, provides better treatment outcomes than traditional forms of treatment that do not include medication support. On the website, several facts about medication support are that:
- It reduces fatal overdoses.
- It decreases illicit opioid use.
- It reduces repeat criminal activity.
- It improves birth outcomes.
Another surprising statistic on the website is that over 80% of people addicted to opioids do not receive treatment. This equates to just over 1.9 million U.S. citizens. Consequently, Advocates For Opioid Recovery want to greatly expand treatment capacity in the United States.
