Opioid Crisis: Alameda County’s Scientific and Community Response

Opioid addiction cannot be described as solely a bad habit. It quickly forms into a chronic brain disorder that requires a response from our communities. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, opioids take control of the brain’s reward system by overwhelming it with unnatural dopamine. That unnatural dopamine appeals to many who crave relief. 

However, that artificial dopamine forces the brain to adapt to opioids and, as a result, produces less natural feelings of dopamine. Thus, it creates a reliance and dependence on these opioids, demonstrating how these short-term pain reliefs lead to life-threatening problems. 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) highlights how opioid use affects our crucial brain circuits, which leads to an alteration of our decision-making, self-control, stress levels, and behavior. Opioids have everlasting effects because the drug not only alters behavior but also damages brain and mental perspective. Thus, people continue relying on addictive opioids for dopamine and cognitive security, making the drug both the problem and the perceived solution.

In response to this epidemic, the Alameda County Health Department is fighting the opioid crisis by building solutions that address and allow communities to thrive without opioids.

In March 2025, the county partnered with the Three Valleys Community Foundation and 12 community-based organizations by granting $2.7 million, allowing for new and creative solutions to save lives. By understanding the importance of community during this crisis, the county is encouraging programs that focus on reducing harm, expanding treatment access and rehabilitation programs. Their coexistence of science and community innovation allows a healing space for opioid addiction, addressing the heart of the opioid crisis to overcome this crisis.

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.