Elizabeth Brico

Giving Alcohol, Nicotine, Marijuana to Isolated Homeless People Is Harm Reduction

Seeking positives in current times can feel futile. But for drug policy reformers, there are a few. San Francisco and…

June 3, 2020

Starting Bupe From Fentanyl Can Be a Nightmare. Microdosing Methods Help.

What I remember most about precipitated withdrawal last year is the color yellow. It was like living the gruesome, nightmare…

May 7, 2020

How the Pandemic Is Restricting Health Options for People Who Use Drugs

For the average non-essential worker, it might feel like the coronavirus has put the world on hold. But for people…

April 22, 2020

The Coronavirus Information Gap for Marginalized People

For those of us connected to technology, it’s hard to imagine not having continual information about the novel coronavirus pandemic.…

April 2, 2020

It Took a Pandemic to Improve Some People’s Access to Opioid Addiction Meds

“I’m great! I’m having so much fun!” Bill Kinkle tells me on the phone. His happiness is jarring. After hours…

March 25, 2020

The Real Harms of Abusive, Stigmatizing Language in Addiction Treatment

Ironically, the conversation that spurred a peer-support specialist at a buprenorphine program to yell me out of the room was…

March 11, 2020

Does a “Dialectical Abstinence” Program Qualify as Harm Reduction?

I first heard the term “dialectical abstinence” in the summer of 2019, several weeks into an intensive outpatient program (IoP)…

February 20, 2020

Let’s End Dangerous Wait Times for Accessing Opioid Use Disorder Meds

I had never been in trouble my whole life. Then I got in major trouble,” said Nikki, a 35-year-old woman…

January 8, 2020

How to Be a Better Employer for People With Addiction or Mental Illness

It can be daunting to try to hold down a job while struggling with mental illness or drug addiction, as…

December 4, 2019

Screen Depictions of Parents Who Use Drugs Still Fuel Stigma and Punishment

Let’s play a game. I’m going to describe a scene, and you guess which movie it’s from. A thin, Black…

November 14, 2019