On the internet, the White House strives to meet people where they are – bringing the Administration’s voices to the digital services and platforms that Americans use every day. We use these tools to share real-time updates, engage with people on the issues that matter to them, and also to listen to and answer questions from the people we serve. As a recent example of the latter, Michael Botticelli — who directs our national drug control policy, and is in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder himself — visited a digital support group for the mothers of people with substance use disorders.

Over 21,000 mothers use The Addicts Mom (TAM) Facebook Group to share stories, information, and help each other as they support their own family members. Director Botticelli dropped by TAM to listen to the experiences of these mothers (and their loved ones), and respond to any questions that they had. In all there were over 900 questions and comments—many related to heroin and prescription opioid use disorders–which was more than Director Botticelli could have answered in one sitting. Below are some of the highlights of his conversations (names have been removed to respect the privacy of the commenters).

Director Botticelli also took time to answer a collection of FAQs from the chat which can be viewed here.