Category: Drug Abuse

December is a month of transition, as many communities across our country make the shift from cool, bright autumn days to longer, colder nights. As we busily prepare for upcoming meals and seasonal celebrations with friends and family, it is an apt time to reflect on what home means to us. Protection from the elements, a place to store our treasures and life’s necessities, a site of belonging and being with the people we love, somewhere soft to lay our head each night, and a place we can return to ourselves day after day – home can mean so much.

World AIDS Day, established in 1988 and observed annually on December 1, is a day to commemorate the 42 million people globally who have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic, and honor the more than 39 million people including 1.2 million Americans, living with HIV around the world.

Meet Analise. Analise has a fulfilling life: a loving family, supportive friends, a meaningful career, financial stability, and optimistic plans for the future. Yet this year, as cooler weather creeps in and days become shorter, Analise finds herself consumed by fatigue, craving sweets, and feeling a sense of dread. 

Grief, in many ways, is a universal experience. In the United States alone, millions of people experience grief and bereavement each year due to a variety of reasons, including the loss of loved ones or experiencing a traumatic event, illness, disaster, or violence. The number of individuals reporting grief and bereavement has increased in recent years, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic, overdose epidemic, and elevated rates of suicide.

National Family Caregivers Month is celebrated each November to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. President Biden’s 2024 Proclamation on National Family Caregivers Month states, “Family caregivers are the backbone of our Nation, making tremendous sacrifices to be there for the people who need and cherish them most. This month, we honor their selfless love and courage, and we recommit to getting them the support they deserve.

Methamphetamine* is one of the most common illicit drugs used in the United States and worldwide, and its use is spreading.

What is methamphetamine?

For National Rural Health Day, SAMHSA celebrates the unique strengths of rural communities. SAMHSA empowers rural resilience by providing resources and tools that address behavioral health; supporting rural communities’ ability to mitigate, adapt, and recover from stressors; promoting behavioral health equity; and building and retaining a diverse, robust, and resilient behavioral health workforce.

On Veterans Day, we take time to honor former service members for their willingness to make sacrifices for our nation. Support for all our nation’s Veterans is a prominent component of the wide-ranging services provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). An emphasis on Veteran behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) care is rooted in the agency’s recognition of the unique needs of this population and the collective national commitment to support those who served.