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One in 21. That figure represents, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, how many teens with opioid use disorder get help in the form of medication-assisted treatment (MAT),within three months of diagnosis.
For adults, one in 21 becomes one in four. And for those over 45, make that one in two.
This isn’t a policy difference. It’s a crisis within the crisis.
Despite extensive research that includes studies showing MAT reduces opioid deaths by 70-80%, teens remain the age group least likely to receive it when they most need it.
In Alameda County, where opioid deaths surged 60% in one year, this treatment gap is literally costing lives. These statistics are a frightening signal for change – teens should be the age group receiving medical treatment, not the group receiving it least.
However, the stigma behind rehab, the fear of opening up to trusted adults, and the disturbing increase in accidental contact teens have with opioids all sum up to large societal driving forces behind this crisis.
Additionally, a groundbreaking 2025 study published in Health Affairs extends this crisis nationally: Only 30.8% of adolescents with past-year opioid use disorder receive ANY treatment.
“There is no scientific reason for this disparity,” states research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
While there aren’t scientific reasons why this disparity exists, there are a multitude of scientifically-studied causes for this disparity, causes which must be addressed to save the futures of children.
As an example of this, consider calling every treatment center in the city or county asking for MAT.
The first center regrets, “Sorry, we don’t have beds for adolescents.” The second says, “Yes, we treat teens, but we don’t prescribe meds.” The third has a six-month wait time, and the fourth doesn’t take the insurance the teen has.
This is the reality for up to 95% of Alameda County families facing teen opioid use disorder.
Solutions are in place, but often they tackle the wrong issues and/or populations.
First, there should be no stigma behind rehabilitation and discomfort with asking for help.
The solution isn’t to treat opioid misuse with retribution, and it definitely isn’t to wrongfully put teens squarely at blame for their addictions or opioid crises.
Instead, program leaders seek to increase access to their programs, and the entire community (for example, all of Alameda County), should consider rehab programs not as a sign of atonement for a wrong but as an opportunity for serious life and societal improvement.
There is also the possibility of accidental contact inciting an opioid overdose or crisis.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to tackle this issue without seeking to remove opioids from a community entirely.
Programs that seek to prevent teen exposure to opioids must recognize that the overarching goal is to remove opioids within a community entirely. In today’s society, there are just too many inescapable pathways for a teen to accidentally brush with a deadly drug.
The most important good news is that societies are trying, and targeted programs are working.
With an even more directed approach toward removing influences of opioids and breaking down stigma barriers behind treatment, both at the communal scale, these striking statistics may very well be reversed into the vaccine for this epidemic.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
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