In 2023, the ARI provided affiliate organizations the funds to help put on successful Big Texas Rally for Recovery rallies across Texas. In our new highlight video, created by ARI’s Bill Hamblen, we showcase the rallies along with facts and…
On February 1st, 2024 the Addiction Research Institute will host their first ever “Storytelling Together for Social Change” event bringing together storytellings and changemakers from across Texas and Arizona to connect and learn from each other. The event is a…
In 2023, the University of Texas Addiction Research Institute (ARI) coordinated BTRR events and distributed HHS funds to support local rallies. ARI developed an application process for BTRR Affiliate Organizations to recruit partners from local substance use and mental health recovery communities to be a part of the statewide BTRR planning committee and to host local rallies for recovery. ARI facilitated affiliate planning meetings to share resources and lessons learned along the way.
Check out our 2023 Impact Report showcasing attendance, vendors, and speakers along with recognitions, pictures, and more.
In our 2023 recap, we want to acknowledge all of those we work with every day to help make the Addiction Research Institute possible. We thank everyone for believing in our mission to generate system change, along the addiction recovery continuum, through innovative research, education and training, advocacy, and partnerships. We conduct rigorous, transdisciplinary, and translational research that facilitates the transfer of new and innovative scientific strategies to support prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. Below we’ve gathered a roundup of various highlights from ARI programs.
Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker is one of the most well-known social workers in Texas. In 2023, she received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from RecoveryPeople, a charitable nonprofit with a long-standing history in Texas for its work with people in recovery. In this moving interview, Dr. Holleran Steiker discussed her current work in the opioid abatement council and SHIFT organization and spoke in-depth about what inspires her and the legacy she will leave in the addiction and substance use field. She also looks towards the holidays and reflects on how those in recovery can find hope during times of loneliness. Dr. Holleran Steiker’s impact can be seen far and wide across the state of Texas. Most recently, she was appointed by the Texas Governor and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to serve on the Texas Opioid Abatement Council which is tasked with ensuring opioid settlement money recovered through the state and its political subdivisions is allocated fairly and spent to remediate the opioid crisis.
The TxCOPE team was recently funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to adapt and test Stress First Aid to the needs of Harm Reduction Workers in substance misuse settings.
On December 11th, 2023, ARI will be hosting our first 2024 Big Texas Rally for Recovery Informational Session. We're inviting all interested organizations who wish to hold rallies across Texas for their communities to join us for this informational session to learn more about the application process, selection, and deadlines.
Leading a team of Community Health Workers in one of the most populated cities in the U.S. while implementing a new overdose tracking tool may be daunting, but Kevin Fox, Program Manager at the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority (NTBHA) is taking on these challenges and thriving.
ARI's Associate Director of Policy and Community Impact, Ariel 'Air' Britt, MSW was recently featured in a national campaign from the Ad Council, CDC, National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Shatterproof.
October marks the start of National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month and it also includes the celebration of Red Ribbon Week, a national campaign started in the late 1980s to raise awareness about drug use, especially with children.
