Therapist Joshua Bennett-Johnson gives a critical breakdown of xylazine’s rise in the drug supply, its deadly interaction with fentanyl, and why traditional overdose response is no longer enough. Essential reading for clinicians and communities.

Harm reduction meets people where they are - without requiring abstinence as the starting point. Dr. Andrew Tatarsky's article explains how that shift expands treatment access and improves outcomes.

John Makohen, CASAC Advanced, RCP, tells a powerful story about stigma and traditional recovery systems. What happens when the system meant to help you rejects you?

Kratom is often marketed as a natural solution for pain or opioid withdrawal. But as its popularity grows, so do reports of dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

Excerpt John Makohen challenges the cultural blind spots around alcohol use and explains why better education — not shame — is key.

A clear, compassionate explanation of harm reduction and why meeting people where they are saves lives and builds pathways to recovery.

A powerful call to shift addiction treatment away from punishment and toward compassion and evidence-based care.

Harm reduction challenges abstinence-only thinking by meeting people where they are. This article explores why compassion and flexibility save lives.

John Makohen shares a raw, powerful account of surviving homelessness, heroin addiction, and rebuilding life through harm reduction.

Robert Kent outlines the NYS Bar Association Task Force’s newly adopted recommendations to strengthen opioid addiction policy.

LADC-II Joshua Bennett-Johnson argues that autonomy isn’t optional—it’s the engine of real change. A field-level story shows how honoring choice unlocks engagement and outcomes.

John Makohen—author and counselor with lived experience—details why people who are unhoused face steep barriers to SUD treatment (IDs, phones, insurance, transportation,rigid abstinence-first rules) and calls for Housing First, person-centered MOUD, and compassion over compliance.