CDC Reports Record High 93,000 Drug-Overdose Deaths in 2020
2020 was a year fraught with disease and death due to COVID-19, and as a side effect of the circumstantial constraints that came with the pandemic, it also showed a lot of potential to be the worst year in drug overdose deaths ever. New data…
Opioid Epidemic Showcases The Tie Between Economic Health and Citizen Health
As the Covid crisis curbs, it’s clear that the devastating effects go far beyond those who were hit by the virus itself. The state of the U.S. economy is a prime example. With U.S. unemployment at an all time low before the pandemic (3.5 percent),…
Stigma: A Dangerous Barrier to SUD Treatment
According to the National Institutes of Health, 75 percent of people who need help with substance use disorders (SUDs), don’t get treatment – often due to shame and stigma. When you consider that, per The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey…
If You’re Not Offering SUD Treatment Benefits, You’re Losing Money
If you’re not offering your employees substance use disorder (SUD) treatment benefits as part of your healthcare coverage, you’re probably losing money. Despite the fact 20.7 million Americans, or approximately 8 percent of the U.S. population, are in need of SUD treatment, only 4 million…
People With Substance Abuse Disorders Are At Serious Risk Right Now
As more and more governors and mayors call for Americans to stay at home in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, people with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at serious risk. Here at Lionrock we’ve heard from hundreds of our own clients, as well as…
From the Podcast: Leo Martinez: Choosing Recovery Above All
In Episode 16 of The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast, Leo shared his story with podcast host Ashley Loeb Blassingame. We’ve edited and condensed it here for a fast read. You can listen to the entire interview here. Leo Martinez, 43, is a Substance…
Substance Use Disorder is Impacting Your Business: What To Do
According to the Surgeon General, substance misuse costs society an estimated $442 billion each year. And with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reporting that almost 11 million full-time workers in the United States have substance abuse disorder (SUD) , it’s not…
Mental Health is a Major Issue: Does your benefit plan account for substance abuse?
Did you know that two out of three people who struggle with addiction also have co-occurring mental health illnesses which can include PTSD, depressive disorders, anxiety, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorders? More than half of all alcoholics and addicts can trace a genetic connection in their families…
From the Podcast: Christopher Poulos: Setting Legal Policy While Living in Recovery
Christopher Poulos joined host Ashley Loeb Blassingame for Episode 12 of The Courage To Change: A Recovery Podcast to share his incredible story of recovery. Christopher is an attorney and the Executive Director of The Washington Statewide Reentry Council, where he promotes equal access to…
From an Idea to 1000 Patients in 2019
It’s been nearly a decade since we founded Lionrock. Nearly a decade since my sister lost her battle with drugs and alcohol. Lionrock is my “revenge” against substance use disorders. Addiction took my sister and almost took one of my daughters. In co-founding Lionrock, I…