People Experiencing Addiction

Do you think you might have a problem with alcohol or other drugs (including tobacco)? Are you engaging in behavior that might be putting you or people you care about at risk for physical or emotional harm? Are you having problems in your social, work, or home life that you think might be related to your use of alcohol, other drugs, gambling, or taking risks?

There are many resources for anyone who wants to learn more about these problems.

  • If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.
  • To learn about drugs, addiction, treatment, recovery and prevention, check out NIDA's Drug Facts and Research Topics pages and see this short animated video clip about addiction from Plan Your Recovery.
  • For information about detox or other treatment resources in MA, you can go to the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline (https://helplinema.org/) or contact them by phone at 800-327-5050 or TTY 888-448-8321. Information on over 600 programs can be accessed through the Helpline website or visitors may call the Helpline Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm to talk with a referral specialist. Helpline services are anonymous and free. After hours, click here (https://helplinema.org/findhelp) to find treatment.
  • If you are an addiction or other health care/social service professional, see below.
  • For individuals who have served in the US Military, see below.

Opioids

Overdose reversal: Massachusetts is at the forefront of training the public - people with addictions and those who care about or work with them - in using intra-nasal naloxone (Narcan) for reversal of opioid overdoses. As of Fall 2016, over 8000 overdoses had been reversed. See the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services Opioid Overdose Prevention information page to find out more.

Check out the "Decisions in Recovery: Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder" Tool from SAMHSA.

View an animated video clip about Medication-Assisted Treatment from Plan Your Recovery.

Tobacco

Quitworks is a MassHealth supported smoking cessation program.

The Institute for Health and Recovery TAPE (Tobacco Addiction Prevention and Education) program also can help.

Gambling

Help with Gambling is available from the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health:

1-800-GAM-1234 (Toll free)

TTY 617-426-1855

Helping others

When you are in recovery, you may be able to use your experience to help others. Many people who have experienced addiction find it has been a life-changing experience. Some become Counselors or Advocates, or provide peer recovery coaching or other recovery supports to people going through the same experience. Explore the Your Career pages to see even more options. Many programs have client advisory boards on which family members and friends can serve.

If you are an Addiction or other Healthcare Professional, there are resources specifically for you

AlcoholScreening.org is a free service of Partnership to End Addiction, formerly Drugfree.org and Join Together which was a project of the Boston University School of Public Health. AlcoholScreening.org helps individuals assess their own alcohol consumption patterns to determine if their drinking is likely to be harming their health or increasing their risk for future harm. Through education and referral, the site urges those whose drinking is harmful or hazardous to take positive action, and informs all adults who consume alcohol about guidelines for lower-risk drinking.

Partners for Recovery’s Supporting Our Greatest Resource: Addressing Substance Use, Misuse and Relapse in the Addiction Treatment Workforce is a toolkit for programs about how to help staff who have experienced addiction.

Nurses can take advantage of Massachusetts’ Substance Abuse Rehabilitative Program.

Physician Health Services (PHS) is a nonprofit corporation founded by the Massachusetts Medical Society that provides confidential consultation and support to physicians, residents and medical students facing health concerns related to alcoholism, substance abuse, behavioral or mental health issues, and physical illness. PHS works to identify those in need of treatment, refer them to treatment, and monitor and guide their recovery. PHS was founded in 1978 as the Medical Society’s Committee on Impaired Physicians. PHS has assisted more than two thousand physicians and health care professionals since its inception in 1993.

Physicians and doctorate-level workers also may be interested in International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous.

The American Counseling Association provides resources for individuals to pursue on their own.

The mission of Massachusetts' Dentists Concerned for Dentists (DCD) is to enhance patient safety by providing dental professionals affected by substance use a volulntary, confidential pathway to recovery. DCD provides resources to those who seek its services, and is designed to provide assessments and also monitor those in need of recovery from substance use disorders.

If you have served in the US Military, there are resources specifically for you

1. Veterans’ Crisis Line (Federal)

These services are free, confidential, and available 24/7/365 to any Veteran and their loved ones, even if they are not registered with Veterans Administration (VA) or enrolled in VA health care.

2.The Statewide Advocacy for Veterans' Empowerment (SAVE) Team (Massachusetts)