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As a society, we have made great strides in understanding addiction as a disease that can strike anyone, regardless of race, age, gender, or social or economic status. We accept that addiction is a lifetime challenge, not a cure-it-and-move-on condition. And we acknowledge that individuals will follow their own unique paths to recovery.
Nonetheless, when it comes to treatment, many of us expect a one-and-done scenario. For many people dealing with substance use disorder, however, that simply isn’t the case. That’s why we need to acknowledge their ongoing challenge compassionately, support their recovery patiently, and make sure they have ongoing access to the resources they need.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse lays the facts out clearly: 40%-60% of people receiving treatment for substance use disorders will relapse, and many will undergo multiple rehab efforts. As such, we can’t treat relapses as failures. We must see them as a time to reset and begin the journey anew.
To do this requires talking openly about relapses. If someone were suffering from heart disease or an ulcer, we wouldn’t shy away from acknowledging setbacks. We should have that same mindset for addiction (and other mental health challenges, for that matter).
To that end, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers the SBIRT (which stands for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) tool, which we think should be deployed in all health care settings. A similar test, the AUDIT screening tool, checks specifically for alcohol use. These early intervention tools are a covered service under Medicaid.
In addition, we want to ensure there are available supports for an individual’s substance use disorder journey. There may be concern for high cost for treating substance use disorder; however, the human cost of not addressing it is higher.
Perhaps most important, individually and collectively, we need to help people with substance use disorders get treatment.
Finding treatment for addiction shouldn’t be overwhelming. In Indiana, get started by visiting TreatmentAtlas.org or by calling 2-1-1. If you or a loved one is experiencing a substance use crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to speak with a trained crisis specialist. Another option is to access your employer’s employee assistance program, which typically provides free mental health guidance. Medicaid providers such as MDwise can make connections to substance use disorder treatment options.
The most direct route would be to call treatment facilities, which can be found online, through referrals, at TreatmentAtlas.org or by calling 2-1-1.
All of this starts with that willingness to talk about relapse not as something that derails a recovery journey but simply as a setback. So let’s talk about it, and let’s make sure we and our health care resources, insurance providers, lawmakers and communities stand by those who have relapsed and help them reset their efforts and continue on their journey—no matter how many times it takes.
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Wheeler is MDwise medical director. Carpenter is MDwise manager of behavioral health programs.
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