For Families
Loved Ones
What You Can Do
Realizing that a loved one has or may have Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) can be heartbreaking. You may be concerned and feel a number of emotions such as sadness, fear, anger… or just wonder how things got to this point.
Opioid use disorder, or opioid addiction, is a medical condition that can affect any of us anywhere in America; any race, gender, income level, educational level, or social status. It is important to remember that OUD is a complicated, treatable chronic disease.
The best thing you can do is get as much information as possible to help you understand what OUD is. Be sure to learn about options for overdose prevention, safe syringe programs, and recovery.

About Opioids
Visit our Addiction 101 page on this site and watch the video there. Understanding Opioid Use Disorder as a chronic, treatable disease is the first step.

Overdose Prevention
Learn about life-saving Naloxone, and who should carry it for emergencies. We also have a list of local pharmacies where you can get an overdose reversal kit.

Recovery
If your loved one with OUD is interested in recovery, show them this site right away and encourage them to contact a providers office and/or a recovery coach. Remember that recovery is a process and there will be victories and setbacks along the way. Your loved one will need support and to know that they are loved whether or not they are in the recovery process.

Helpful Links
It’s hard to find anyone in the U.S. who is not aware of the current opioid crisis in our country. Luckily, there’s a lot of great information available for anyone interested in learning more about OUD, prevention, treatment, services and more:
- Center for Disease Control Rx Awareness
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- NAR-ANON Family Support Groups
- SMART Recovery
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
National Hotline Number: 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.