‘From shame and blame to support and healing’: NC launches campaign to reduce stigma around substance use

‘From shame and blame to support and healing’: NC launches campaign to reduce stigma around substance use

By Rachel Crumpler Two years ago, Tyler Yates lost his best friend to an overdose. At the urging of another person in the recovery community, Yates said his best friend stopped taking buprenorphine — a medication used to treat opioid use disorder that helps reduce drug cravings.  About two weeks later, his friend returned to use and died.  Despite research showing that medications for opioid use disorder are highly effective, their use can often…