Aug 6, 2026 · 10 min · 13 segments
In the US, about a quarter of a million people die each year from alcohol and drug-related illness, despite proven medical treatments for addiction. So why aren’t doctors prescribing them more?…
Brian Mann
Ailsa ChangHostAvailable on Business plans.
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Today, why do so many doctors and nurses avoid treating patients with addiction? One night in December 2023, John Descamp was unresponsive and taken to the emergency room.
He was experiencing signs of an overdose, and when police arrived, they pleaded with hospital staff to let him stay.
Why is he being released? We have no place to take him.
Experts say interactions like this are common, where people experiencing signs of addiction are turned away from care by healthcare workers.
We are othering.
The person with opioid use disorder or substance use disorder is suddenly not our patient anymore.
Beth Myerson is an expert on addiction treatment at the University of Arizona College of Nursing.
We're gonna not see that patient as a person anymore.
That dehumanization process, we just can't filter that out.
About a quarter of a million people die each year from alcohol and drug-related illness, and there are proven medical treatments for addiction.
So why aren't doctors prescribing them more often? [gentle music] From NPR, I'm Ilsa Chang.
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“These medications can dramatically reduce overdose deaths.”
“Stigma may be medicine's biggest treatment barrier.”
“Addiction care lags behind heart attack treatment.”
“Doctors have tools, but treatment remains widely inaccessible.”
“The solution starts with changing medical education.”
