Empowering the Family and Engaging the Community to

Prevent Overdose

www.OverdoseFreePA.pitt.eduPublic Curricula – Essential Knowledge for

Families and CommunitiesCore Components 3 & 4

© 2014, Overdose Prevention Coalition

The OverdoseFreePA website is brought to you by the Overdose Prevention Coalition, a

collaborative between:

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP)

The Single County Authorities (SCAs) of:

Allegheny CountyBlair County

Bucks CountyButler County

Dauphin CountyDelaware County

Westmoreland County

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office

The Program Evaluation Research Unit, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

The project is supported by a generous grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

It’s Good to Know …

The role of family is vital in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2009

Who is Considered to be “Family?”

• Family of Origin – a person’s biological family.

• Family of Choice – a person’s “kinship network.”

DDAP, 2014

Families Need Help, Too

• SUDs affect everyone who knows the person with the SUD.

• Those closest to the person can suffer the most and can be consumed by the behavior caused by the disease.

• Families and friends of people with SUDs sometimes need help in dealing with someone else’s SUD.

Safe Landing, 2011

What is Recovery?

• SUD treatment professionals and researchers are beginning to understand that the definition of recovery is different for everyone.

• In order to recover from SUD, an individual must believe that recovery is real.

Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Coalition (PDAC), 2010

Recovery = Hope

People with SUDs and their families must maintain the hope that recovery

is possible.

PDAC, 2010

There are Multiple Pathways to Recovery

SAMHSA, 2012

• Each person’s recovery needs are different.

• People have different strengths, goals, preferences, culture and backgrounds.

• These things affect a person’s pathway to recovery.

There are Multiple Pathways to Recovery

(cont’d)

SAMHSA, 2012

Recovery is built on the multiple capacities, strengths, talents, coping

abilities, resources and inherent value of each individual.

Recovery May Include:

SAMHSA, 2009; SAMHSA, 2012

• Professional clinical treatment• The use of medications • Support from families and in schools• Faith-based approaches• Peer Recovery Support Services

– Peer Services are designed and delivered by people who have experienced both SUD and recovery

– Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

• Other approaches

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

• MAT is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, in SUD treatment.

• For opioid dependence, the combination of MAT and behavioral therapy is most successful.

DDAP, 2014

Some People Experience Setbacks

SAMHSA, 2012

• Setbacks are natural, but not everyone experiences them.

• Keep moving forward no matter what.

• Abstinence from all substances is recommended as an important part of recovery.

If Someone Refuses Treatment

• Individuals with SUDs frequently refuse treatment.

• This can cause significant distress for family members, who see their relatives struggling and feel powerless to stop it.

Meyers, 1999; Roozen, 2010

If Someone Refuses Treatment (cont’d)

Family intervention has been proven effective via the CRAFT method, where Concerned Significant Others (CSOs)

are taught skills for modifying a loved one’s drug using behavior and

enhancing treatment engagement.

Meyers, 1999; Roozen, 2010

If Someone Refuses Treatment (cont’d)

• For more information about the CRAFT method, visit:

https://www.robertjmeyersphd.com

• Do not give up! Continue trying to engage your loved one in treatment!

Meyers, 1999; Roozen, 2010

Types of Treatment

• Let your loved one know there are many different SUD treatment options.

• Treatment doesn’t have to involve staying in a facility overnight.

• Every person’s treatment needs and treatment plan are different.

• For more support, contact case management in your county.

NIDA, 2009

Types of Treatment (cont’d)

• MAT– With behavioral counseling

• Outpatient Treatment– Individual, Group or Family Treatment– Patients can attend treatment during the day and

go home at night

• Halfway House– A live-in, work-out environment

• Inpatient Treatment– A live-in environment

NIDA, 2009; DDAP, 2014

Family Support Groups

Alcoholics Anonymous Family Groupshttp://www.al-anon.alateen.org

Nar-Anon Family Groupshttp://www.nar-anon.org/naranon

Families Anonymouswww.familiesanonymous.org

Learn 2 Copehttp://www.learn2cope.org

NIDA, 2009; DDAP, 2014

Recovery-Oriented System of Care (ROSC)

• Pennsylvania’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment system is moving toward a ROSC.

• This approach meets the person in recovery’s specific needs and chosen pathways to long-term recovery.

Hanna, 2013

ROSC (cont’d)

• One of the essential elements of a ROSC is that treatment systems are anchored in the community.

• This community role includes connections to peer support and recovery organizations.

SAMHSA, 2012

Cultivating Community Solutions

• In the U.S., overdose deaths doubled from 1999-2010.

• Prescription drugs are responsible for approximately 60% of overdose deaths.

• It’s important for people with SUDs to have support from their communities.

Jones, 2013

Objectives of an Overdose Prevention Coalition

To increase…

1. General public awareness and knowledge of the overdose problem.

2. Number of interventions, policies and programs within the community.

3. Prevention and intervention knowledge of professionals, agencies, family members and caregivers.

Pringle, 2013

SAMHSA’s Strategies to Prevent Overdose

Deaths• STRATEGY 1: Encourage providers,

persons at high risk, family members and others to learn how to prevent and manage overdose.

• STRATEGY 2: Ensure access to treatment for individuals who have other SUDs.

SAMHSA, 2013

SAMHSA’s Strategies to Prevent Overdose Deaths

(cont’d)• STRATEGY 3: Ensure ready access to

naloxone (Narcan®).

• STRATEGY 4: Encourage the public to call 911.

• STRATEGY 5: Encourage prescribers to use state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs).

SAMHSA, 2013

In Review …• Recovery from SUD is possible.

• Family support is essential for individuals with SUDs.

• Family members are encouraged to join support groups to learn how to help their loved ones, and to learn how to cope themselves.

• Education and awareness of overdose-related issues is important in every community.

PDAC, 2010; Jones, 2013