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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 119

3 Things to Know About Substance Use and Suicide Mortality

The article explains that substance use and suicide deaths have risen nearly 40% over the past decade, became the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2024, and remain a major concern as many people still face barriers to accessing mental health and substance use treatment.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
KFF
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Access to Naloxone Can Save a Life During an Opioid Overdose

This FDA consumer update explains how naloxone can quickly reverse an opioid overdose, describes the signs of overdose, and encourages broad access to naloxone as a safe, lifesaving tool for people at risk and those who may witness an overdose.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Among Women Aged 18–49 Years — United States, 2021–2024

This report summarizes national survey data from 2021 to 2024 showing that alcohol use during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern, with about 15 percent of pregnant women reporting recent drinking and smaller but notable shares reporting binge and heavy drinking.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

BTMPS in Fentanyl: What Parents Need to Know About This Emerging Chemical

This webpage explains that BTMPS is an industrial chemical increasingly found in fentanyl that may make overdoses more dangerous and difficult to treat, outlines its potential health risks, and provides harm reduction strategies to help protect people who use drugs.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Families
Children
Patients
Medical Providers
Source
Partnership to End Addiction
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

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

Free Mind Campaign Partner Toolkit

The Free Mind campaign was created to raise awareness about the connection between youth substance use and mental health. The campaign toolkit provides resources and information on preventing substance misuse, educating youth on risks, and articulating the impact of mental and behavioral health issues.
Format
Toolkit
Audience
Children
Families
Communities
Patients
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (PDF - 10.63 MB)

The 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Annual National Report provides nationally representative estimates of substance use, substance use disorders, mental health conditions, suicidality, treatment utilization, and recovery among Americans ages 12 and older.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
States
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Medetomidine in the U.S. Illegal Fentanyl Supply Increasing Risk for Overdose and Severe Withdrawal Syndrome

This advisory warns that the veterinary sedative medetomidine is increasingly being found mixed with illicit fentanyl, leading to higher overdose risk and prolonged sedation unresponsive to naloxone, and urges clinicians and public health officials to enhance surveillance and preparedness.
Format
Advisory
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Patients
First Responders
States
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

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