GET HELP
Need immediate help?
Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Resources for those misusing opioids
If you’re here, you’ve taken an important first step towards getting help for a problem with prescription opioids. You may be struggling to properly use a legal prescription, misusing illegally, or feel your drug abuse has grown into addiction. No matter the reason, treatment and recovery are possible for you. It’s important to support yourself through this process- the links below provide resources for getting help and maintaining sobriety. You can also visit our Opioids Explained page to understand what causes addiction, treatment options, and how to progress through recovery.
- talk to your doctor
- call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP
- go to SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator .
- visit Findtreatment.gov for help finding treatment centers
- Local Health Centers for substance abuse services
- Faces and Voices of Recovery
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Opioid Treatment Program Directory by state, providing methadone
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) combines behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance use disorders.
- Handbook: Decisions in Recovery: Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
- To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit offering mental health resurces for those struggling with anxiety, depression, and thoghts of suicide. this link takes you to direct help opportunities.
Resources for loved ones
When a friend or family member shows signs of misusing or abusing drugs, it’s hard to know what to do or say. At some point, changes happen in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.
Research has shown that addiction is a brain disorder. It’s not a “choice”, it is an illness just as life-threatening as conditions like heart disease or diabetes. Like other long-term (chronic) illnesses, people with an addition can have periods of relapse and recovery. The behavior and social symptoms of addiction can hurt family, friends, or coworkers. But you may be in the best position to help an addict understand the need to seek treatment. Most people who are in recovery say they got help because a friend or relative was honest with them about their drug use and helped guide them to treatment and recovery resources. Use the links below to get started:
- How to Spot the Signs of Teens and Young Adult Substance Abuse
- Signs your child may be misusing prescription drugs and what to do if you suspect they are
- How to Help an Addict
- How to approach a loved one and help if you suspect they are misusing prescription opioids
- Treatment Options and Resources
- From findtreatment.gov, advice on types of treatment, how to approach a facility, paying for treatment, and how addiction impacts mental health
- Navigating the Treatment System for Your Child
- Resources from Partnership to End Addiction to help you navigate the drug addiction treatment system for your child; how to find a program, what questions to ask, types of treatment, insurance coverage
- Facts and Recommendations for Communities
- Resources for communities on identifying, preventing, and addressing drug addiction
- Safe Storage and Disposal of Prescription Drugs
- Guidance on how to safely store and dispose of unused medication so they don’t wind up in the hands of unintended misusers
Resources for financial support
We offer financial support, when possible, for patients in need of treatment at our partner organization treatment centers in the New York, West Virginia, and Florida areas. If you or a loved one is in need of help, please contact us today.
Substance abuse treatment can be an expensive undertaking.
Understanding the costs of and how to pay for treatment can be hard and confusing and often act as a barrier for those in need to get the help they need.
There are free and low-cost facilities across the country, and many others accept Medicaid, private insurance, Veterans Administration benefits (if you’re a military family), Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), student health services, clinical trials, financial aid, payment plans and a sliding fee scale. Your state also has funding set aside to help people without insurance afford treatment, contact your state agency for information on how the process works in your state.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 requires health insurers and group health plans to provide the same level of benefits for mental and/or substance use treatment and services that they do for medical and surgical care. That means your insurance company can’t tell you “we don’t do substance abuse treatment” or “mental health isn’t covered.” Denying you coverage is breaking the law.
If you’ve been denied coverage for treatment, the Department of Health and Human Services has a Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help tool that can help you find the right resources to solve issues with your insurance.