As the addiction and overdose crisis reaches troubling milestones – 100,000 overdose fatalities last year alone – all leaders and key stakeholders in the community are needed to address the problem. The Responding to Addiction training is designed to increase knowledge about addiction and develop skills and strategies to help your community.

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The Addiction Policy Forum developed the training and participant manual with an Expert Review Panel composed of prominent researchers and physicians in the addiction field.

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Addressing Addiction Stigma

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Addiction is one of the most stigmatized health conditions on earth. Research has found that individuals who experience stigma due to a substance use disorder are more likely to continue engaging in substance use and manifest greater delayed treatment access and higher rates of dropout. Stigma prevents people who are struggling from reaching out for help and isolates families affected by the disease who fear being judged by their communities. Responding to Addiction is designed to reduce addiction stigma, including stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, and increase knowledge about addiction, as well as helping behaviors.

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What Participants Learn

• The Science of Addiction 

• The Signs and Symptoms of Addiction 

• Evidence-Based Treatment Options 

• Medications to Treat Addiction 

• Engagement Strategies 

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Who Should Get Trained

• Families, Friends, & Caregivers 

• Clergy 

• First Responders 

• Employers 

• Educators 

• Health Care Providers

• Community-Based Service Providers

• Other Community Members

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Outcomes

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The Addiction Policy Forum and the University of Delaware conducted a pilot study to test the effectiveness of the Responding to Addiction intervention between August 2023 and May 2024. Preliminary results from the cohort of 30 training sites across Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, California, Virginia, Maine, Minnesota, and New Hampshire included 299 pre- and post-matched participants. The evaluation measured addiction knowledge, confidence in how to respond to a substance use disorder (SUD), and levels of stigma, including stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

The program evaluation results  were statistically significant, indicating that Responding to Addiction increased addiction literacy among participants and decreased addiction stigma among participants.