U.S. flag

An official website of the Department of Health & Human Services

AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Substance Use Tools & Resources   

Read the Guide

This collection of tools and resources is for providers, staff, and patients who offer or use services to address substance use, and other interested stakeholders. This collection was originally established following an environmental scan on implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural primary care. (See PDFs of Volume 1 (PDF - 609 KB) and Volume 2 (PDF - 1.3 MB) of that scan). Items have been continuously added to this collection since then, and the collection has expanded to cover substance use more broadly, rather than just MAT for OUD.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 995

Course 4: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

As part of the Substance Use Disorder 101 Core Curriculum from PCSS, this course reviews and compares pharmacological treatment options for individuals with OUD, including methadone, buprenorphine (sublingual and injectable formulations), and naltrexone (oral and long-acting intramuscular formulations). Evidence for each medication is reviewed in detail, and studies comparing each are discussed. The purpose and goal of medications for OUD are reviewed, and different treatment models are presented. The course includes case vignettes in which medication options for OUD are considered.

Format
Web-Based Course
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS)
Year

Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024 (PDF - 616 KB KB)

This CDC data brief reports that U.S. age‑adjusted drug overdose death rates fell significantly from 2023 to 2024 across all demographic groups and drug categories, marking the largest annual decline in the past decade.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Policymakers and Payers
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Empowering Rural Communities: Overcoming Barriers to Treatment (PDF - 687 KB KB)

This webinar highlights the unique challenges rural communities face in accessing substance use disorder treatment and presents innovative, community-driven strategies—such as mobile clinics, telehealth, and local partnerships—to expand care and build recovery‑ready environments.
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Communities
Source
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Engaging Difficult-To-Reach Adolescents into Substance Use Disorder Treatment (PDF - 2,000 KB KB)

This webinar provides practical, evidence‑based strategies to engage resistant or hard‑to‑reach adolescents in substance use disorder treatment by improving early-session connection, increasing session attendance, and using strength‑based, adolescent‑friendly approaches.
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
Year
Resource Type
PDF

NDEWS Weekly Briefings

The website releases the weekly briefings that curate recent news, research, surveillance data, and emerging drug trends from the U.S.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Policymakers and Payers
States
Source
National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Peer Recovery Support Services in Substance Use Treatment

This webpage provides an evidence-based overview of how peer recovery support services help people with substance use disorders, highlighting research findings, practical models, and policy considerations.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Peer Recovery Support Services Policy Landscape and Analysis (PDF - 1,930 KB KB)

This document provides a policy landscape and analysis of Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS), offering an overview of how states are defining, certifying, financing, and integrating the peer support workforce while also identifying policy gaps and opportunities for strengthening services.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Policymakers and Payers
States
Source
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Problems Initiating Buprenorphine Treatment Among Patients Using Fentanyl (PDF - 6.7 MB KB)

This webinar presents findings from a study on clinician‑reported challenges in initiating buprenorphine for people using fentanyl—such as precipitated withdrawal, perceived ineffectiveness, and patient preference for methadone—and discusses how clinicians are modifying induction protocols in response
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
Year
Resource Type
PDF