For Help: Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health 24/7 Crisis Line 1-800-327-4693
GET INVOLVED WITH SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION
What Can I Do as an Individual?
- DON’T smoke or use illegal drugs. DO consume alcohol in moderation, take prescriptions as directed, secure your medications and alcohol, exercise – it releases natural endorphins, use other methods to manage pain/stress, and model healthy behavior.
- Ask your doctor to visit the US Surgeon General's website, turnthetiderx.org, to take a pledge to educate themselves on safe and responsible pain management, screen patients for opioid use disorders and to treat addiction as a chronic illness.
- Ask your doctor to prescribe only the amount of medications needed. Keep your medications in a locked box or cabinet. Dispose of unused or unwanted medications properly. Contact your local law enforcement to see if they have a drop box. The Bay County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police post in Freehand, Delta College Public Safety and SVSU Public Safety all have drop-boxes in their lobbies..
- To learn more about prevention activities, volunteer or donate, contact the Bay County Prevention Network at 989-316-4120.
What Can We Do as a Family?
- Talk with your kids about the harms of alcohol/medications/other drugs, set clear boundaries and expectations about risky behavior – set the norm of non-use, make a big deal if rules are broken, know your kids’ friends/parents, support your kids’ involvement in positive activities with positive peers/other adults, know the signs and symptoms of abuse.
What Can We Do as a Community?
- Use your voice – let others know why prevention is important to you, your family and your community. Support events that practice prevention. Share information with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, clergy and teachers.
- Be a responsible workplace – implement your drug free workplace policies consistently, support your employees and your community to build a better working environment.
- If you are a faith leader, speak from the pulpit on health & wellness practices, provide social opportunities for youth, and support treatment & recovery of your members.
GET INVOLVED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT/SUPPLY REDUCTION
Traditional law enforcement methods have had little impact on this epidemic. As such, we’ve teamed up with everyone from local government to emergency personnel to medical professionals to not only understand addiction but also to learn how we can intervene, give medical aid (Narcan) and provide resources to those addicted and their families.
If you are a police officer, firefighter, doctor, nurse, addiction specialist, or other professional connected to this epidemic, please join our Task Force.
We’re working to aid first responders with tools, knowledge and resources in an effort to intervene while on the scene of an overdose. We understand that addiction is better treated as a medical condition than a crime. One of the priorities of the Task Force is not to arrest those addicted, but get them help to overcome their addiction.
If you have a tip on a drug dealer, contact the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team (BAYANET) at 989-790-6581. All tips will remain confidential.
GET INVOLVED WITH TREATMENT
What Can I Do as an Individual?
- If you are concerned about your alcohol or drug use, talk to a professional about it. There is help available. Recovery is possible.
Visit our Resources tab for local treatment resources. - If you are in recovery, share your story of hope.
What Can We Do as a Family?
- If you are concerned about a family member or friend, learn about addiction. Regrettably, no family is born with the knowledge of how to deal effectively with addiction. Visit our Resources tab for local resources.
- You can’t control someone else, but you can have influence.
- Get support for yourself- people caring for or living with others with an addiction often need support for themselves, as well.
What Can We Do as a Community?
- It takes a village to deal with addiction
- Addiction is a public health problem that requires a community solution.
- Learn what you can about this devastating illness, then share your knowledge!
- We need available treatment for addiction just like we do for any other disease.
GET INVOLVED WITH HARM REDUCTION
Drug addiction is a threat to the health and safety of our entire community. Injection Drug Users (IDU) are at-risk of overdose and contracting other chronic illnesses such as Hepatitis C and HIV. The general community and first responders are at risk from infections resulting in handling discarded needles, addicted individuals driving under the influence and supporting the cost of medical care associated with the complications of addiction. If you know a user, encourage them to get HIV and Hepatitis C testing and follow through with treatment.
The overall goal is to reduce the harmful effects of intravenous drug use and decrease the health risk to the community by supporting community-based Narcan distribution, providing community support, education, and access to health care for intravenous drug users.
Help keep prescription drugs off the streets. If you are taking prescription drugs, keep them in a locked box or cabinet. Do you have unwanted/unused prescription drugs in your home? Turn them in to a drop off location. You can find locations on the Bay County Prevention Network website here.
THE NATION GETS INVOLVED
The heroin and opiate problem isn't just a local concern- it's reach encompasses the entire nation. That also means people all over the country are wanting to know what they can do to help. You can view MTV's recent Prescription for Change: Ending America's Opioid Crisis documentary below to see what others are doing.
The heroin and opiate problem isn't just a local concern- it's reach encompasses the entire nation. That also means people all over the country are wanting to know what they can do to help. You can view MTV's recent Prescription for Change: Ending America's Opioid Crisis documentary below to see what others are doing.