Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist or visit scheduler.drugfree.org
Helpline
Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist

    Addiction impacts millions of families of all types. We know what quality treatment looks like, but for too many families it’s out of reach. They face insufficient insurance coverage and low-quality, even predatory, treatment options.

    We can fix this. With your help, we can erase the stigma that has prevented treating addiction as the health care issue it is. We can raise awareness, educate others and change policy.

    Discover all the ways you can take action now.

    Call to Action
    Help us change the story of addiction

    Families face too many obstacles getting the help they need. What could be stories of hope are full of heartache and frustration instead. We're harnessing the power of storytelling to break barriers and transform the addiction journey. Help us fix the system.

    Learn more & take action

    Increase access to treatment

    Families are still fighting to receive the mental health and substance use insurance benefits they are due.
    Act now
    Contact your members of Congress today about CARA 3.0, an expansive bill encompassing funding, programs, and policies related to education, research, treatment and criminal justice.
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    The time is long overdue to remove the buprenorphine waiver requirement and expand access to this life-saving treatment.
    Act now
    Ask your member of Congress to cosponsor the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, a bill that would require prescribers to undergo addiction training before receiving or renewing their license to prescribe controlled substances.
    Act now
    Despite the urgent need for addiction treatment, individuals released from jails and prisons are often unable to afford or access care due to a lack of insurance coverage.
    Learn more

    Expand recovery & other support services

    We need your help to move the Family Support Services for Addiction Act forward.
    Act now
    National Recovery Month occurs each September and is an opportunity for government agencies and communities to educate the public and combat stigma surrounding mental health and addiction.
    Learn more
    Recovery housing is critical component for millions of Americans recovering from addiction. But a lack of regulation leaves space for substandard and fraudulent providers.
    Learn more
    The federal government has not ordered the flags to fly at half-staff to mark one of our nation’s greatest tragedies: the ongoing drug overdose crisis.
    Learn more

    Prevent substance use & addiction

    Patients and their families, who are often unaware, should be advised of the risks and alternatives when opioid medications are prescribed.
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    There are too few non-opioid options for pain management – and too little insurance coverage for the options that do exist. The bipartisan “NOPAIN Act” would improve insurance coverage for non-opioid pain medications. Go to Voices for Non-Opioid Choices Action Center to make your voice heard.
    Go now
    One of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, especially among youth, is to increase the price of tobacco products since youth are especially price sensitive.
    Learn more
    We were on the cusp of making this young generation the first to broadly reject tobacco use. Instead, rates are rising and too many young people have become hooked on nicotine products.
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    Reform criminal justice & improve crisis response

    The CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon has been providing appropriate crisis response for over 30 years by dispatching mobile teams of health care and crisis workers, rather than police.
    Learn more
    Substance use disorders and mental illness are health care issues, not crimes. An appropriate crisis response should connect people to care, not jail.
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    We were unprepared for not only the disease of COVID itself, but for the mental health and substance use crises that have accompanied it.
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    The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine has helped fuel mass incarceration and has disproportionately harmed people of color. The EQUAL Act would eliminate this disparity.
    Learn more
    Call to Action
    Ready to do more?

    What does it mean to be an advocate? Our toolkit provides step-by-step instructions, including tips for building relationships and effectively communicating with lawmakers. We are building a movement to transform how our nation addresses addiction, and we need your voice!

    In case you missed it, view our Introduction to Advocacy webinar.

    Get your advocacy toolkit

    Your story can spark change

    Nearly half of all Americans have a family member or close friend with addiction. This issue affects so many more people than most realize.

    We know the science and the statistics, but what motivates change are stories of real people. Your stories. We’ll help you find your voice.

    Learn more about the potential power of storytelling from current family advocates.
    Watch now
    With our guidance, your story can help transform how our nation addresses addiction.
    Get started