With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, Boston has some good news. Addiction to heroin and Oxycontin have leveled off. Why is this good news around a drinking holiday in a city known for this celebration? Because heroin treatment admissions still account for more than those related to alcohol. And, more Bostonians die from drug and alcohol abuse than they do from murder, so any drop in use means more lives will be saved.

According to a study from the Boston Public Health Commission, heroin abuse admissions dropped by 11 percent in 2006 and Oxycontin admissions have stopped climbing. This is also good news for politicians as they have almost doubled the budget in the past 2 years (from $33.2 million to $61.6 million) for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.