One popular New Year's resolution is to quit alcohol consumption.

Although easier said than done, one recovery center said there are modifications to try if previous attempts are not working. A good start is taking a hard look at what has worked and what has not.

Marissa Sauer, a licensed clinical addiction counselor at Avenues Recovery, a Fort Wayne recovery center, pointed out if there was a simple answer, everybody would use it. She added other influences are linked to alcohol and substance abuse.

"There's genetics. Were my parents and my grandparents struggling with substances? Does someone have maybe adverse childhood experiences that have led to substances being a coping mechanism of some kind?" Sauer explained. "Maybe there are these mental health diagnoses."

Sauer mentioned people, places, or things which could inhibit or enable someone to abuse drugs or alcohol, making it complicated to simply walk away. Medication, therapy or conversations with people who have beaten their addictions are all effective measures for recovery.

The U.S. Surgeon General's 2025 Advisory Report indicates alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity and the public is taking notice.

There is a growing momentum of the "sober curious" movement, avoiding happy hours at bars, ordering a low or no-alcohol drinks known as mocktails, or completely abstaining from alcohol for 30 days for "dry January." Sauer said longtime substance abusers fear change and she wants them to know there is hope.

"Whether you're 21 or whether you're 51, that ability to heal is there," Sauer emphasized. "The best gift that you could give yourself for a healthy 2025 is to give your loved ones the absolute best version of yourself."

An Indiana State Epidemiological report from 2021-2022 revealed almost 24% of residents age 12 and older have participated in binge drinking, with the highest rate among young adults ages 18 to 25.


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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

After they were long considered paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips are now officially legal in Indiana.

According to recent data, fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths in the state. Until this month, if someone was found with the lifesaving strips, it would be up to the local prosecutor to decide if they would face charges for violating the state's paraphernalia laws.

A bipartisan effort changed that reality by passing House Enrolled Act No. 1167.

"Any resident should and can access test strips," Director of Harm Reduction at Overdose Lifeline Breanna Hicks said. "Our former paraphernalia law said that anything that tests the 'presence, efficacy or effectiveness of a substance, an illicit substance,' could be considered paraphernalia. So, while fentanyl test strips only test for presence, that was a gray area in law in jurisdictions across Indiana."

Local harm reduction organizations say the law fueled fear for people hoping to distribute the strips. The concern prompted them to push for change.

"There's this false narrative that access to test strips are going to encourage substance use or encourage drug use, in general, especially to populations that are younger," Hicks said. "However, that's just not true, harm reduction is a proven practice that allows for individuals to make healthier and better decisions."

Hicks says the strips can be used to test drugs purchased off the street.

When the small strips are submerged in water, they can detect the synthetic drug in 30 seconds to two minutes. According to the Marion County Coroner, the drug was found in over 90% of opioid overdoses in Indianapolis last year.

"Fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death for anybody age 18 to 45," Hicks said. "Indiana falls in that range as well, to where we're seeing fentanyl being the most prevalent cause of accidental overdose death."

Overdose Lifeline is one of the organizations distributing the test strips. To request strips, click here.


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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Kentucky's latest drug overdose fatality report showed a drop in deaths and for the first time, a decline in deaths among Black Kentuckians.

Groups across the Commonwealth have been working to increase access to harm reduction services.

Latosha Perry, executive director of the Louisville-based nonprofit EmpowHer with Open Arms, said her organization provides prevention services to adolescents as well as group and individual therapy for adults who are typically required to be in therapy in order to see their children.

"Some struggling with addiction or just now coming out of incarceration, they don't have the money to cover those expenses," Perry explained. "It typically decreases the rate of them reunifying with their family."

Overdose deaths in the Commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a slightly more than 30% decrease in 2024, compared with the previous year. Still, more than 1,400 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose.

Ashley Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit agribusiness Black Soil Kentucky, said her organization has distributed Narcan units and provided training to farmers so they are equipped to act as first responders.

"We have worked to pair education outreach and technical assistance with direct produce distributions across rural and urban communities," Smith pointed out.

Both organizations received grant funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for their harm reduction efforts.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to get assistance connecting with a treatment center. Information about treatment programs is available at FindHelpNowKy.org, and information about how to obtain naloxone is available at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org.


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With less than a week in the legislative session, Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill which would change the state's laws for driving under the influence.

Senate Bill 304 would eliminate the threshold of offenses for driving under the influence prosecutors need to charge someone with vehicular homicide. Current law mandates a person have three prior DUI offenses within a seven-year period before they can be charged with vehicular homicide on a fourth offense that results in death.

According to state data, half of deadly crashes on Nevada roads are caused by drunken drivers.

Sandy Heverly, cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit Stop DUI, said she believes the bill could help save lives.

"Why are we giving these people three chances to kill us?," Heverly asked. "We've reached a point where the penalty for the crime should, and must, outweigh the risks these drunken fools are willing to take."

The bill would not only allow charges on the first deadly DUI offense but the person could face more time behind bars. Some public defenders oppose the legislation, saying state law is already tough enough on people charged with DUI. They want more training for alcohol servers and providers to prevent incidents in the first place. The bill was heard in committee last week.

Alyssa Belle Yabut is the eldest daughter of Nevada State Police Trooper Alberto Felix. Felix and Nevada Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Abbate were killed by an impaired driver while they assisted another driver in 2023. Yabut said DUIs not only take lives, they shatter families.

"Every holiday, every birthday and every ordinary day, we feel his absence," Yabut explained. "Unjustly, under the current Nevada law, that driver could not be charged with vehicular homicide because he didn't have three prior DUIs."

Yabut said she wants the bill to be a turning point for Nevada. Critics warned the bill could lead to steep financial implications for the state and perhaps significantly increase the state's prison population.


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