Teenagers coping with drug addiction face daunting challenges, yet there are fewer and fewer specialized facilities that cater to their specific needs. One encouraging trend, however, are high schools designed for students in recovery, including Heartland in Ohio, a state with the second-highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country. Heartland is the first such high school in Ohio, offering personalized learning, daily mindfulness lessons and group sessions.
Recovery high schools, which have existed since the late 1980s, have grown rapidly since the early 2000s in the wake of the opioid epidemic. Studies show the schools can significantly reduce students’ substance abuse and improve mental health, in part by providing a welcoming, highly structured and supportive environment for teens struggling with addiction.
Meanwhile, an article in Vox looks at methadone—one of the most studied and successful forms of drug treatment—and how its high cost is unmanageable for many patients. Those quoted in the story say they like methadone treatment but that either insurance won’t pay for it or the clinic doesn’t accept their insurance. A 2019 study found that in recent years, coverage for addiction treatment has gotten worse, relative to physical healthy services.
While methadone in its generic form is relative cheap, it costs more as part of addiction treatment largely due to legal requirements for staffing, storage, security and other services. Many of these rules were relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic—making it easier to both prescribe and distribute drugs such as methadone—which should be studied to determine effectiveness.