Breaking Free

In the journey of recovery, those with Opioid Use Disorder will hopefully get in touch with a professional who can help them figure out the kind of treatment they need. Do they need medication? What about 12-step programs or a residential facility? How long should they stay in it? Philip Maes has been that person for countless individuals in the Opioid Crisis. He is a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse and a care coordinator for Medication Assisted Treatment at the University of Illinois' Mile Square Health Center in Chicago. In this installment, Maes discusses what he has learned, how he tries to help and how family and friends can play a pivotal role in supporting recovery.

Doctors are questioning long-held beliefs on how to treat substance abuse and coming up with new answers -- but those living in the Opioid Crisis may be in the dark. Popular culture has us believe in a particular approach to treatment: a confrontational intervention, followed by ultimatums from family and friends, then a long stint at an in-patient rehab facility. In this installment we pick apart these beliefs with Dr. Jonathan Adelstein and discuss how friends and family can effectively help a loved one toward recovery and what treatment looks like today. Dr. Adelstein is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with Northwestern Medicine. He specializes in addiction psychiatry, and has previously worked as a consultant for treatment centers in the Chicago area.

When do you intervene with someone suffering from substance abuse? Do they have to hit "Rock Bottom" before accepting treatment? In this installment, Dr. Christopher Holden explains the modern thinking on how to approach these difficult situations and when – And he discusses what steps to take if the person accepts treatment or refuses it. Dr. Holden is the director of addiction services at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. He is an expert on opioid addiction and the evolution of how the medical community is treating it.

Trying to find treatment in the Opioid Crisis is bewildering. There are flashy ads for expensive, out-of-state residential facilities. Then there are free 12-step meetings in a nearby church basement. Too often a doctor isn't even part of the discussion. In this installment, Dr. Nicole Gastala provides some clear guidance. She knows the treatment system many are facing – its limits and its potential. Dr. Gastala helped start a program in a Midwest rural town to address a burgeoning opioid problem there, and recently moved to help expand addiction treatment services at Mile Square Health Centers at the University of Illinois Health in Chicago.

Women in drug treatment at one of the largest jails in the United States share the highs and lows of their day before a group session on how their own trauma links to substance abuse. The women, who come from all walks of life, live together as they learn how to identify and control their addiction. Most of the women are addicted to opioids and have seen how it has destroyed their families and killed friends as the crisis ravages the Chicago area.

This man nearly died on the floor of a courthouse bathroom -- his 14th overdose, by his count. Why is this addiction so powerful? What can loved ones do to help? This man gives some answers in this Public Awareness podcast from the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Please share this man's story to help spread understanding of a crisis that is killing tens of thousands every year. For more information on the crisis and how to seek help visit www.cookcountysheriff.org/the-opioid-crisis/