The Basics – Addiction
When someone's brain becomes wired to crave a substance the way it craves food or water, addiction takes hold. It's not weakness or bad character. It's a medical condition affecting the brain's reward…
Topic
Prevention
Reaching young people early — film, conversation, generational stories, and the prevention work that doesn't wait for crisis.
10 stories
Your Brain and Addiction
Scientists can now show what addiction looks like inside the brain: less active decision-making centers, dopamine systems flooded beyond normal. Understanding these physical changes matters because it…
The Addiction Cycle Explained — Part 2
Your brain craves excitement. Your stomach loves repetition. Your blood carries it all through your body. Together, these three systems form what keeps the addiction cycle spinning, turning automatic…
The Addiction Cycle Explained
You learned to ride a bike once, and your body remembered forever. That same automatic system in your brain can trap you in patterns with substances, making each use feel more urgent than the last. Un…
Generational Noor
When Amran Osman's brother died from an overdose, she realized her Somali community stayed silent about substance use disorder. Fear kept people from seeking help. Now the 24-year-old is breaking that…
Maine Voices of Recovery Issue #23
Rochelle Grant Kenney watches her grandson Sander call out "Mimi" across the living room in Hope, Maine. That voice reminds her daily of everything she regained when she got sober in 2009. Now she wor…
The Power of Prevention-focused Coalitions
A student at South Portland High School used a substance and faced suspension, a punishment that left them adrift. Now, when students struggle with substance use, they meet with a counselor instead. T…
Be A Positive Influencer
A teen takes the keys from a friend at a party. Another says no to a drink and means it. These moments matter more than you might think. This piece explores how young people become positive influencer…
What is Prevention?
A second-grader learns why medication belongs in a locked cabinet. A fourth-grader understands how drugs affect the brain. Prevention education starts early and builds year by year. This column explor…
Mission Driven
Eddie Greyfox Burgess parks his turquoise 1965 Ford Fairlane at festivals and car shows, spreading health pamphlets and conversation. A former social worker and counselor in recovery since 1994, he tr…