Number of children affected by parental substance use has surged to 19 million, study finds

Number of children affected by parental substance use has surged to 19 million, study finds

About 1 in 4 U.S. children – nearly 19 million – have at least one parent with substance use disorder. This includes parents who misuse alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids or illegal drugs. Our estimate reflects an increase of over 2 million children since 2020 and an increase of 10 million from an earlier estimate using data from 2009 to 2014. Those are the key findings from a new study my colleagues and I published in the journal JAMA Ped…

The Help Families Need to Overcome Substance Dependence

We are family. The effects of substance dependence reach far beyond the individual. Image Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty ImagesBy Stacy PhillipsA version of this essay first appeared at The Imprint.Addiction fractures families, shattering the fabric of familial bonds and often wrenching children from their homes. It is often framed as an individual’s battle, but the reality is that it affects entire families—especially children. For families …

Pennsylvania Authorizes First Telehealth-Only License to Expand Substance Use Disorder Treatment

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has announced a groundbreaking move to expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment across the Commonwealth by issuing its first telehealth-only license to a treatment provider. Gateway Rehabilitation Center (GRC), a long-established SUD provider in Pennsylvania, received the state’s first telehealth exception to operate its “Hope from Home” program. This…