Whitehouse Fighting to Help RIers Combat Addiction

Press Release

On the heels of a new Providence Journal analysis showing that Rhode Island has a higher rate of opioid-related overdose deaths than neighboring states and the nation as a whole, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is continuing his fight to help communities and individuals battle addiction. Whitehouse, who is the lead Democratic sponsor of the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, spoke today at a Capitol Hill event hosted by the Addiction Policy Forum.

"There's a whole new understanding about the role of addiction and recovery. And most importantly, I think, there is a whole new appreciation of what addiction is and what recovery is," Whitehouse said. "Addiction is not a sin and a stigma. It is an illness. And recovery is not an occasion for shame -- for going off into some quiet dark spot to make yourself less of a bad person. It's a march of courage, it's an expression of humanity, it is something that we all should be proud of. It is a hard path to walk. And those who walk it deserve our respect."

According to the analysis published today by the Providence Journal, Rhode Island's rate of opioid-related overdose deaths is 20.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 14.9 in Massachusetts and 15.3 in Connecticut. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national rate in 2013 was 7.7 deaths per 100,000 people.

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