Workplace Support for Employees in Recovery From Opioid Use: Stakeholder Perspectives.

The dual challenges of COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic have heightened the need of Maryland workplaces for accessible resources and supports. This paper describes efforts of the Workplace PROSPER (Partnering to Reduce Opioid Stigma and Support Employment in Recovery) project team to explore opioid-related state employment needs from Key Stakeholder perspectives. Discussion revealed significant overlap between the needs identified by stakeholders and pre-existing recovery friendly initiatives in other states. However, this convening identified the need for increased training of medical professionals in communicating about work capacity and safety as well as for resources to support family members of individuals with Opioid Use Disorder and model programs for hiring individuals in recovery. Next steps include the creation and dissemination of a survey to obtain a broader base of feedback and the development of a robust set of online recovery resources for Maryland employers and employees.

"This show hits really close to home on so many levels": An analysis of Reddit comments about HBO's Euphoria to understand viewers' experiences of and reactions to substance use and mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Public health has begun using social media forums such as Reddit to enhance surveillance and modernize interventions for young people. The current study's objective was to examine Reddit posts about the HBO series Euphoria to identify show themes that resonate with adolescent and young adult viewers in order to inform future social media interventions. METHODS: Reddit comments in the r/television community from June to August 2019 were downloaded. Following filtering, 725 comments were analyzed and coded using a codebook and ATLAS.ti. Coded comments were analyzed for themes relevant to Redditor substance use, reactions to Euphoria and the main character (Rue), and mental health concerns. RESULTS: During their discussion of the show, Redditors disclosed both personal recreational and prescription drug use, including substance use to cope with mental illness symptoms. There were approximately equal numbers of comments with positive and negative reactions to the show overall and to the main character, Rue. Redditors often found Euphoria's storyline and portrayed events to be relatable and realistic to the experience of young people who use drugs, as well as sometimes triggering. Overall, Redditors thought Rue accurately depicted an individual's struggle with a substance use disorder. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study highlights how television and social media can contribute to young peoples' understanding of substance use disorders and mental health. Findings could inform the design of social media interventions for adolescents and young adults on a variety of substance use issues, including stigma and the interconnectedness of substance use and mental health challenges.