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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

What's working ... and what isn't? Examining models for treating substance abuse

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published August 27, 2026 at 2:01 PM EDT
Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left has short grey hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a light grey button-down shirt, blue pants and blue and brown shoes; a balding man front right is wearing eyeglasses, a black button-down shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes; a woman back left has shoulder-length grey hair and is wearing a grey t-shirt; a man back right has short dark hair, a grey goatee and is wearing a yellow t-shirt with blue and white lettering.
George Yeadon
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WXXI News
(foreground) Rob Kent, (background) Kara Izzo and Jonathan Westfall with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, August 27, 2026
WXXI News

Last year, nearly 45 million Americans were diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder. That’s according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

When it comes to treating addiction, what's working? And what isn't?

We talk to the team at ROCovery about local peer support, and we hear from a former Biden administration official about the recovery landscape in New York.

In studio:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams