I never thought I’d have to write this eulogy for Isabella. Even though she struggled with addiction and a host of other challenges, Isabella always […]
A Plan to Tackle the Opioid Crisis: The Good, the Bad, and the Missing
The “CARE Act,” a bill addressing the opioid crisis, is moving its way through the Massachusetts legislature’s Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and […]
Substance Abuse and Social Capital
While the Donald Trump / Jeff Sessions administration is working to re-invigorate the war on drug users, a number of new studies look at relationships between social […]
The Women of Can’t Catch a Break: January 2017 Update
Life is never boring for the women of Can’t Catch a Break. Over the past months they’ve faced serious health problems; they’ve struggled to care […]
Eulogy for Nicole
By Maureen Norton-Hawk, co-author Can’t Catch a Break. If you were to meet Nicole you would never imagine that she had been battling a drug […]
Like the “Girl Who Hides a Razor Blade in Her Mouth,” Coerced Addiction Treatment Has Many Victims
This article was originally published on April 13, 2016 by The Influence. Kahtia “acted out” from a young age. At least that’s what the counselors […]
Suicide is Painful
The week that Robin Williams’ suicide hit every media outlet in the country, my friend Joy drove into the woods, shot herself up with enough […]
Civil Commitment: If You Build It They Will Come
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 123, Section 35 permits the court to involuntarily commit to an inpatient substance abuse treatment someone whose alcohol or drug use […]
White Women, Opiates and Prison
Author’s note: Race is hard to write about; so is class; so is gender. I struggle with articulating — especially in a short essay — […]
Our Prisons are Drugging Women
This piece originally appeared in Salon in August, 2013 A report issued earlier this month by the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed that doctors have […]