Over 21 million Americans are suffering from substance use disorders and many more are at risk. If you are struggling or worried about a loved one, there are resources that can help you. If your organization serves individuals who struggle with addiction and substance use disorders, these resources will help you stay informed and equip you with resources to pass along. The Addiction Policy Forum created the Addiction Resource Center (ARC) online portal for people with a need to understand addiction, assess for risk, and find treatment and recovery options.
Links to Resource:
- Visit the Addiction Resource Center (ARC) where you can complete a self-assessment, develop an action plan, and discover local resources to address substance use disorder.
- Learn more about addiction on the ARC website including types of substance use disorders, why language matters when it comes to addiction, and understanding treatment.
- View The “A” Word – Language Matters infographic from the Addiction Policy Forum to learn appropriate language to use when talking about substance use disorders.
- Explore the Addictionary from the Recovery Research Institute to learn more language and which words hold stigma.
- Read the related article Addressing Substance Abuse in Clinical and Educational Settings (pdf) from the Society for General Internal Medicine
- View SAMHSA’s recently released fact sheet: Finding Quality Treatment for Substance Use Disorders (pdf) that provides guidance for choosing quality, effective treatment services. It provides three necessary steps to complete prior to using a treatment center as well as the five signs of a quality treatment center.
- View medication-assisted treatment fact sheets from NIATx that provide easy access to information on using FDA-approved medications as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for substance use disorders.
Date: 2018