In The News...

The latest updates from the National Institute on Drug Abuse on telehealth, the opioid epidemic, and evidence-based practices in the field of addiction treatment and research.

“As much as we want to say that the system is ‘rehabilitative’ — it’s easy for us to send someone to jail or prison for their drug problem, and they’ll come out cured of their problems — the reality is, things aren’t in place to actually do that,” said Michael D. Birmingham Sr., PhD.

“When we’re working and talking and troubleshooting different approaches to solve the opioid crisis, we should have the people that have been directly affected by those issues in the room, guiding those conversations,” said Kyle Brewer, Peer Specialist Program Manager for NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.

“It’s important that the government shows support because it lends credence to the profession,” says Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, Executive Director of NAADAC. “Addiction still is stigmatized, and the people who serve addiction still are stigmatized.”

"Kyle Brewer is the peer specialist program manager for NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, where he manages the Arkansas Peer Specialist program. Brewer oversees the development and implementation of a three-tier credentialing process (Core, Advanced, Supervision) for the Arkansas Peer Support Model."

Featuring NAADAC Peer Specialist Program Manager Kyle Brewer, BS, PRPS

Featuring Lisa Peterson, LMHC, LCDP, LCDS, MAC, and Cyril M. Scovens, MS, CAC-AD

“We really want to move cautiously, because the first one will set the stage for others to come,” said Lisa Peterson, chief operating officer at VICTA [and President of NAADAC's Rhode Island affiliate, the Rhode Island Association for Addiction Professionals (RIAAP)]. The center must first be approved by city or town leaders in the community in which it is proposed before being licensed by the state Department of Health, a steep hurdle by all accounts.