Odyssey House President and CEO Dr. Peter Provet comments on how a recent article in the New York Times (“An Effective Treatment for Opioid Addiction Exists. Why Isn’t It Used More?”, February 16, 2025) on buprenorphine and stigma.
The recent New York Times Magazine article on buprenorphine highlights the medication’s critical role in addressing the opioid crisis and the systemic barriers preventing its widespread use. However, the absence of interviews with individuals who rely on buprenorphine for their recovery is a missed opportunity that inadvertently reinforces stigma.
Buprenorphine is often given under the brand name Suboxone, which is administered in small orange strips under the tongue. Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Stigma thrives when the voices of those directly impacted are excluded, perpetuating the harmful narrative that addiction and its treatments are something to be hidden or judged. At Odyssey House, we witness every day how stigma discourages people from seeking help and how it extends to life-saving treatments like buprenorphine.
Misconceptions—such as the idea that Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) is “substituting one drug for another”—persist in part because the personal successes of those in recovery are often overlooked. Including their stories would humanize the issue, challenge these misconceptions, and demonstrate the transformative power of evidence-based care.
For example, currently, 57 percent of clients in our residential treatment programs with opioid use disorders are taking either buprenorphine or methadone as an integral component of their treatment plan. Helping individuals committed to recovery embrace medical advances, such as buprenorphine, is a critical part of our work.
As the article notes, other countries have successfully reduced overdose deaths by normalizing buprenorphine use. To achieve similar outcomes in the U.S., we must not only expand access but also amplify the voices of those in recovery to combat stigma and foster greater acceptance of a biopsychosocial approach to recovery.