Author: Nelson Jose Tiburcio PhD

Dr. Nelson Jose Tiburcio, is not only the Chief Executive Officer at The SASSI Institute, he is also a Latino drug and alcohol researcher, originally from New York City. His academic degree is in Criminal Justice from the Graduate Center of New York and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. His training and expertise have been in the areas of substance use and abuse, sustained opioid recovery, public health, HIV/HCV prevention and treatment, community reentry, recidivism, cultural competence and health literacy in major urban areas. During a period of over twenty years, he has led, directed and/or collaborated on studies investigating the various initiates and public health consequences of illicit drug use, mostly heroin and prescription opioids but including cocaine, crack and other drugs among them.

Season’s Greetings From Our CEO

Dear SASSI colleagues and friends,

As has become our tradition, we would like to extend our warm holiday greetings to you and your loved ones. This end-of-year message also allows us to inform you of our newest developments, initiatives and plans.

We continue to focus our efforts on better assisting all of you in doing the valued work of treating, helping, and addressing the many issues your clients face daily and doing it with passion and dedication. In 2026 and the years to follow, we will be providing you with new and exciting tools to further help in treating your clients. This coming year we are planning initiatives that will better capture your needs, as expressed by your surveys and postings to us. Our plans include the ability for you to customize reports and various toolboxes that will allow you to focus on the specific needs of your clients. Among other things, we will enhance our focus on co-morbidities, the needs of special populations and the more recent proliferation of substances like isotonitazene, a drug about one hundred to one thousand times more potent than morphine that has emerged as a primary drug on the illicit market. It sometimes feels like we can never get ahead of these onslaughts of new and deadlier substances. Please stay in touch with us and check out our blogs as we report the many things we will have available as they happen. We remain grateful and thankful for your many efforts and the challenges you face. As always, we remain a phone call or email away from helping you in your missions, so we can better fulfill our own, providing the necessary tools and assistance to those that assist others.

Many have lost family, friends and loved ones to various issues, and our hearts go out to them; but especially to those that we have lost to the various sequalae of addiction, disease, overdose and any combination of complications. May you be now joined by the higher power of your choosing, and with the love from those that preceded you, as well as those that will miss you here. It is our sincerest hope that your pains and sorrows may ease over time. For those that continue in their struggles in their fights against the many ravages of addiction, there is always hope, help, and survival tools. Continue to demonstrate that inner strength and believe that you indeed have the power to change and find that personal place where you can achieve whatever you desire. And please know that you do not have to do it alone, one day or moment at a time, keep the fight alive. Please know that we are all in your corner.

In the meantime, our Board of Directors, senior management, consultants, contractors and myself, want to share that we are available to you, and reassure you that we remain committed to providing the critical assistance so many of you seek to help your clients. There are no words sufficient to thank you for the work you do, the struggles you engage in and your quests to help those less fortunate than ourselves. For that and so many more reasons, we at The SASSI Institute share our thanks, gratitude and admiration!

We will continue doing our best to allow you, our licensees and collaborators, to continue to do your jobs, offer your many services and continue to assist those that need us the most. I am extremely proud of our staff and the non-stop work they have continued to perform. In closing, we all wish you a happy holiday season and a happy and healthy year full of joy.

Happy Holidays!

Dear SASSI colleagues and friends,

This past year we have experienced many things including a new election. Regardless of your political persuasion, and despite individual differences, our diverse opinions, and contrasting views, we are still all one people, constituting our United States.

We at The SASSI Institute continue to maintain our focus on what we do best, engaging in the efforts and challenges towards saving lives. Collectively, we remain grateful to all our service providers, trainers, consultants and our wonderful staff, as we strive towards fulfilling our mission and successfully reaching our goals. As always, we want to recognize all of those that have lost loved ones, friends or colleagues. That your pains may ease in time of sorrow is our solemn wish. To those that continue in their struggles in their fights against addiction, there is always hope, help and survival beckons. Continue demonstrating that innate power that exists in all of us, one day or moment at a time, keep the fight alive. Please know that we are all in your corner. And of course, to those that we have lost to the various sequalae of addiction, disease, overdose and any combination of complications, may you be now joined by the higher power of your choosing, and with the love from those that preceded you, as well as those that will miss you here.

In the meantime, our Board of Directors, senior management, consultants, contractors and myself, want to reassure you that we remain committed to providing the critical assistance so many of you seek to help your clients. There are no words sufficient to thank you for the work you do, the struggles you engage in your quests to help those less fortunate than ourselves. For that and so many more reasons, we at The SASSI Institute share our thanks, gratitude and admiration!

We will continue doing our best to allow you, our licensees and collaborators, to continue to do your jobs, offer the many services you offer and continue to assist those that need us the most. I am extremely proud of our staff and the non-stop work they have continued to perform.

Year-End Message from the CEO

Another year has come and gone. It honestly feels like only yesterday that we planned our 2023 journey, that it is now nearly over. As in years past, I would like to recognize all of us that have lost loved ones, friends, or colleagues. In honor of their suffering and loss, we continue to offer our condolences, our understanding, our compassion, and our love. Unbelievingly it seems that as every new year dawns upon us, new and deadlier substances cross our paths.

This past year we examined one of those, Xylazine, an especially dangerous and deadly substance. We also reviewed the additional difficulties and stigma our recovering LGBTQIA friends and colleagues endure as they attempt to fight the deadly consequences and sequalae of the many years (sometimes decades) that they succumbed to during their addictions. To those that have suffered, strained, and fought endlessly, yet maintained their sobriety we offer our deepest congratulations. We also examined sustained recovery and how those successfully demonstrated their fortitude and strengths as they learned to live their lives one day at a time, drug and alcohol free. But importantly, we also recognize that meeting people where they are at, in their journey is the most important assistance we can provide. Judgement free, we must remember that we are responsible only for the effort and recognize that there are no failures. Even recovery attempts should be celebrated.         

In the meantime, our Board of Directors, senior management staff and myself, want to reassure you that we will continue in our quest to provide you with the help and support you may need as you help those less fortunate than ourselves. We are all experiencing increased economic pressures and an uncertain economic environment, but I want to assure you that all of our departments remain united in our efforts to continue to provide you with the materials and support you need. As we have said before there are no words sufficient to thank you for the work you do, the struggles you engage in to help those less fortunate than ourselves. For that and so many more reasons, we at The SASSI Institute share our thanks!

In short, we want you to always consider us your allies as you help your clients. Remember we are only a phone call, text or email message away. Stay safe and may you all have a joyous and healthy holiday season and New Year.

Warm regards,

SASSI’s Latest Publication Focuses on Long Term Recovery

On January 19th of this year our latest manuscript was published in Social Behavior Research and Practice.  Examining Sustained Recovery from Substance Use Disorder — A Delicate Process discusses the various aspects and definitional terms involved in achieving sustained abstinence (Long-term recovery).  This article was submitted as the first in a series of manuscripts examining the recovery process; both from the perspective of the recovering individual, but also including persons within that individual’s personal and professional circles. Our goal is to achieve a holistic understanding of recovery as experienced and understood by recovering individuals, but in addition, to achieve a better understanding of what that recovery experience looks like from the perspective of those with direct access to the individual’s recovery sphere. We are actively seeking collaborations with substance use programs, outpatient clinics, halfway houses, and other venues where individuals undergoing their personal recovery experience may be residing or whose service they may be utilizing. We firmly believe in the adage that there can be “Nothing about us without us,” (Jürgens R., 2008). Please help us accomplish what promises to be an exciting and fruitful undertaking as we seek to quell the ongoing ravages of addiction in its many forms.

Jürgens R. (2008) “Nothing about us without us” – Greater, meaningful involvement of people who use illegal drugs: A public health, ethical, and human rights imperative.

A Year-End Message From Our CEO

As this tumultuous year comes to an end, I would like to recognize all of us that have lost loved ones, friends or colleagues. In honor of their suffering and loss, we offer our condolences, our understanding, our compassion and our love. To those that have suffered, strained, and fought endlessly, yet maintained their sobriety we offer our deepest congratulations. But to those who may have succumbed to the demons of addiction and slipped or relapsed, yet survived, we also offer our most heartfelt congratulations! One day at a time you have survived, you have demonstrated your power and resolve. And last but of course not least, for those of us among us that have moved on to a new life, those that we have lost to disease, overdose and any combination of complications, may you be now joined by the higher power of your choosing, and with the love from those that preceded you, as well as those that will miss you here.

In the meantime, our Board of Directors, senior management staff and myself, want to reassure you that despite the multiple supply chain issues, inflationary pressures and uncertain economic environment, we will continue to keep our doors open and provide the critical assistance so many of you seek to help those less fortunate. There no words sufficient to thank you for the work you do, the struggles you engage in to help those less fortunate than ourselves. For that and so many more reasons, we at The SASSI Institute share our thanks!

We will continue doing our best to allow you, our licensees and collaborators to continue to do your jobs, offer the many services you offer and continue to assist those that need us the most, those still suffering through substance use, co-morbidities and in some cases along with COVID and other health issues, tri-morbidities. I am extremely proud of our staff and the non-stop work they have continued to perform. Our Training Department continues to provide state of the art Training services and Interpretative guidelines to assist you in your endeavors. In addition, via The Professional Development Workshops series, our nationally recognized experts continue to provide certified trainings related to substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders and the incorporation of our SASSI tools in assessment packages for specialized populations. Our customer service, clinical and IT teams as always, remain at your disposal and are providing non-stop services to facilitate your administration and interpretation of our many tools. Our research department continues to churn out contemporary, pertinent literature that will assuredly help you in your quests to further assist your patients. And I’d like to remind you that we have ensured that these publications be made available to you free of charge as part of an arrangement via the Creative Commons. So please access these, do so often and feel free to share with your colleagues and friends.

In the meantime, be kind to yourselves and let’s make it our mission to take care of each other, and please accept The SASSI Institute’s best wishes for a healthy, happy New Year and holiday season!

2023 Price Increase

As you are no doubt aware, operational, production, and administrative costs have risen dramatically in recent months. SASSI has resisted raising prices as long as possible, but due to the nature of the current economic climate, we can no longer continue to absorb the increased cost.

Therefore, effective January 1, 2023 we will be implementing a price increase on our products.

The SASSI Institute appreciates your continued loyalty and support. We know you have options for your business and we thank you for partnering with us. It is our hope that in our mutual mission of saving lives our professional relationships continue for many years to come. As always, please know that we are only a phone call away.

Sincerely,

“Fentapills,” Fentanyl, illicit opioids & the Black-Market Internet: A Perfect Storm of Danger and Death

The underlying headline is that we, as a group, must unify our efforts on all fronts to protect all of these individuals, which unfortunately include friends, family, and loved ones. Substance Use Disorder indeed does not discriminate! Let’s up our awareness, prevention efforts, and of course interdiction.

Read more

Recent Article Investigating Denial Among Adolescents

The SASSI Institute is proud to share one of our newest manuscript addressing adolescent substance abuse. The title of this article is Mandated Treatment for Troubled Adolescents and Substance Use Disorder: Identifying and Breaking Through Defensiveness and Denial. It provides an investigation of the defensiveness demonstrated by teens who are mandated to participate in treatment as compared to their non-mandated peers. Part of the data set we collected for The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Institute’s third iteration of the Adolescent SASSI-A3, the present study focused on data from 164 mandated teens that participated in the principal study. As in the principal study, these cases were drawn from substance use treatment, criminal justice programs, community corrections, and private clinical practices, among other venues, and all cases were provided by clinicians working within these service settings throughout all U.S. Census Regions. In addition, we review cases demonstrating high-levels of defensiveness and denial in these mandated teen clients, and ethical ways to break through that barrier towards effective treatment engagement. Finally, we present two brief de-identified treatment case studies, aptly demonstrating defensiveness and denial from a clinical standpoint. We at The SASSI Institute are very proud of this work, and I want to personally thank my co-authors for making this work possible. The article is available free of charge as it was submitted as an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows readers to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, as long as the original authors are properly cited.

A Message of Thanks and Giving From the CEO

In this season of Thanksgiving, I felt it appropriate to share some of the many things we at The SASSI Institute are thankful for. This past year has demonstrated our human potential and tenacities in so many ways. Despite the over five million worldwide deaths directly attributable to the COVID virus, our healthcare, teaching and service staff, and yes you, all of the treatment and human service professionals throughout the world have demonstrated that we may have been down, and maybe down again, but we always get back up. There are indeed so many of us that have lost loved ones, friends, or colleagues. Our hearts go out to them. In honor of their suffering and loss, we offer our condolences, our understanding, and our love.

But the proverbial light is there. We can finally see what may be an end to this horrific pandemic. Thanks to the scientific community and healthcare workers throughout the world, we are finally seeing a reduction in case numbers, and hopefully soon, our ability to declare a finality to this dire and deadly disease. If nothing else, it has proven we are all one people, and that our unity truly stands stronger than any divisiveness. Through it all, we have managed to be there for one another, for our friends, colleagues, and our families. We have remained united, and that is and should continue to be foremost in all our minds, and meriting of our thankfulness.

In the meantime, our Board of Directors, senior management staff, and I want to reassure you that despite the multiple supply chain issues, inflationary pressures, and uncertain economic environment, we have once again decided this year to maintain our pricing structure such as it is. We at The SASSI Institute are doing our best to allow you, our licensees, and collaborators to continue to do your jobs, offer the many services you offer, and continue to assist those that need us the most, those still suffering through substance use, co-morbidities and in some cases along with COVID and other health issues, tri-morbidities. This year has also seen many changes in our operational structures and the various features we offer here at The Institute. I am extremely proud of our staff and the non-stop work they have executed this year. Our Training Director has overseen one of our most successful initiatives, The Professional Development Workshops series. In addition to the many trainings we have offered over the years, we now also have nationally recognized experts providing Continuing Education approved training related to substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and the incorporation of our SASSI tools in assessment packages for specialized populations. Our customer service, clinical, and IT teams as always, remain at your disposal and are providing non-stop services to facilitate your administration and interpretation of our many tools. I anticipate several other exciting initiatives to come, and we will inform you of them as they develop.

In the meantime, be kind to yourselves, and let’s make it our mission to take care of each other, and most of all let’s remember to be thankful!

Turning the Corner on COVID-19

Dear Friends,

For more than a year now, our lives have been literally turned upside down. Many of us have lost loved ones and friends or had them severely affected by this terrible pandemic. It has caused upheavals in basically all areas of our lives.

But I think it is safe to say that we are finally turning the corner. Science tells us that the required herd immunities and vaccinations are soon to be at optimal levels. Here at The SASSI Institute, we are at more than 95% capacity. And I am so proud of our staff, their dedication and professionalism as they continued to serve you, the heart of our business. They were with you through thick and thin, and despite the multiple obstacles, collectively we accomplished an extraordinary level of achievements throughout this time. For example, we have multiple publications that are now in the public domain. Please contact our Customer Service Team if you are interested in any of them, they are free of charge. If interested in our Training services and availabilities, contact our Training Director Ms. Scarlett Baker, or our Executive Assistant, Ms. Lauren Nelson. Kristin Kimmell LMSW, LCAC, our Clinical Director and her team are available for any of your clinical concerns. And by the way, Lauren also serves as our IT specialist, so she is available for any mishaps in your IT service provision.

In sum, I am very proud of you, our customers for maintaining our collaborations, our staff for making that possible, and to the many, many individuals we serve, may their path to recovery be enlightened by your services.

With warm regards,