Thomas M Woods

"The opioid epidemic has proven/to cause death and devastation/trauma, financial loss, etc., on individual, family, and community levels.  Substance use disorder affects everyone, either directly or indirectly.  Policies already in place have proven, on both state and national levels, have been proven ineffective at best, with the “body count” increasing by roughly 10% annually.  OUD (opioid use disorder as well as other substances) crosses all socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic populations.  It does not discriminate.  Our response, given the circumstances we now face, calls for a monumental effort in the field of addiction prevention education.  Addressing the epidemic on the “back end” (after the person has become addicted) has been met with incredibly low outcomes of long-term success for individuals."

Thomas M Woods - Substance Abuse Prevention Educator/Speaker