Support for Families
Support for
Families
What to look out for if you believe a family member may be misusing opioids?
Some behavioral signs and symptoms of opioid use disorder:
- A change in peer group
- Carelessness with grooming
- Decline in academic or work performance
- Missing classes or work, skipping school
- Loss of interest in favorite activities
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Deteriorating relationships with family and friends
What to look out for if you believe a family member may be misusing
opioids?
Some behavioral signs and symptoms of opioid use disorder:
- A change in peer group
- Carelessness with grooming
- Decline in academic or work performance
- Missing classes or work, skipping school
- Loss of interest in favorite activities
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Deteriorating relationships with family and friends
What to look out for if you believe a family member may be misusing
opioids?
Some behavioral signs and symptoms of opioid use disorder:
- A change in peer group
- Carelessness with grooming
- Decline in academic or work performance
- Missing classes or work, skipping school
- Loss of interest in favorite activities
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Deteriorating relationships with family and friends
Practicing Prevention at Home
If you or a family member are prescribed opioids for pain:
- Never take prescription opioids in greater amounts or more often than prescribed
- Avoid taking opioids with alcohol and other substances or medications
- Do not share your prescription opioids
- Store prescription opioids in a secure place, out of reach of others (including children, family, friends, and visitors)
- Don’t save medications when you no longer need them. Flushing medications or throwing them in the trash can result in them leeching into the water supply, but you can safely dispose of unused prescriptions. It’s as easy as taking your unused prescriptions to one of the safe disposal locations throughout the county.
- Click HERE for Lehigh County disposal locations!
Practicing Prevention at Home
If you or a family member are prescribed opioids for pain:
- Never take prescription opioids in greater amounts or more often than prescribed
- Avoid taking opioids with alcohol and other substances or medications
- Do not share your prescription opioids
- Store prescription opioids in a secure place, out of reach of others (including children, family, friends, and visitors)
- Don’t save medications when you no longer need them. Flushing medications or throwing them in the trash can result in them leeching into the water supply, but you can safely dispose of unused prescriptions. It’s as easy as taking your unused prescriptions to one of the safe disposal locations throughout the county.
- Click HERE for Lehigh County disposal locations!
If you have a family member who’s experimenting, recreationally using, or struggling with opioids:
Talk to them.
They may not want to talk about it– but if they do, listen. Work to overcome stigma and not allow it to impact prevention and treatment.
Talk to them.
Keep drug test strips in the house.
Test strips can show if a drug contains fentanyl. They are fast, easy to use, and not too costly. When the presence of fentanyl is known, people can take steps to reduce the risk of an overdose.
Free drug testing strips are available for Lehigh County residents at Change on Hamilton, 927 Hamilton St, in Allentown. They are also available over the counter at many pharmacies.
Keep drug test strips in the house.
Test strips can show if a drug contains fentanyl. They are fast, easy to use, and not too costly. When the presence of fentanyl is known, people can take steps to reduce the risk of an overdose.
Free drug testing strips are available for Lehigh County residents at Change on Hamilton, 927 Hamilton St, in Allentown. They are also available over the counter at many pharmacies.
Know the signs of an opioid overdose.
Know the signs of an opioid overdose.
Carry or keep Naloxone.
It can reverse an opioid overdose. It’s safe, legal and can save a life.
Carry or keep Naloxone.
It can reverse an opioid overdose. It’s safe, legal and can save a life.
Be prepared to act.
When someone is showing signs of an overdose, it’s urgent to take action fast. In Pennsylvania, you won’t get in trouble for trying to help.
Be prepared to act.
When someone is showing signs of an overdose, it’s urgent to take action fast. In Pennsylvania, you won’t get in trouble for trying to help.
What is a stigma?
People experience feelings of stigma when another person mistreats them or thinks badly about them because of a behavior, characteristic, or trait. Stigma, whether caused by bias, purposeful exclusion, or a lack of understanding about the causes for a personal struggle, is harmful.
What is a stigma?
People experience feelings of stigma when another person mistreats them or thinks badly about them because of a behavior, characteristic, or trait. Stigma, whether caused by bias, purposeful exclusion, or a lack of understanding about the causes for a personal struggle, is harmful.
Recovery and Family Support Services in Lehigh County
Recovery and Family Support Services in Lehigh County
Addiction is a disease that affects the whole family, not a character flaw. People experiencing substance use disorders (SUD) have trouble controlling their drug use even though they know drugs are harmful. Overcoming an SUD is not as simple as resisting the temptation to take drugs. Recovery may involve medication to help with cravings and withdrawal as well as different forms of therapy. It may even require checking into a rehabilitation facility.
If you think you or someone in your family might be losing control of substance use, it’s important to schedule an assessment. Because addiction is chronic and progressive, it doesn’t go away on its own. It gets worse the longer it goes untreated.
Knowing where to start and making sense of the options out there can feel daunting.
Addiction is a disease that affects the whole family, not a character flaw. People experiencing substance use disorders (SUD) have trouble controlling their drug use even though they know drugs are harmful. Overcoming an SUD is not as simple as resisting the temptation to take drugs. Recovery may involve medication to help with cravings and withdrawal as well as different forms of therapy. It may even require checking into a rehabilitation facility.
If you think you or someone in your family might be losing control of substance use, it’s important to schedule an assessment. Because addiction is chronic and progressive, it doesn’t go away on its own. It gets worse the longer it goes untreated.
Knowing where to start and making sense of the options out there can feel daunting.
Recovery
Lehigh County’s Recovery Center Change on Hamilton serves our residents by offering people with a substance use disorder a warm, welcoming, judgment free place to find a recovery community, learn skills, and receive assistance through referrals to treatment and other community resources as needed.
Change on Hamilton – located at 927 Hamilton Street, Allentown.
Recovery
Lehigh County’s Recovery Center Change on Hamilton serves our residents by offering people with a substance use disorder a warm, welcoming, judgment free place to find a recovery community, learn skills, and receive assistance through referrals to treatment and other community resources as needed.
Change on Hamilton – located at 927 Hamilton Street, Allentown.
Recovery
Lehigh County’s Recovery Center Change on Hamilton serves our residents by offering people with a substance use disorder a warm, welcoming, judgment free place to find a recovery community, learn skills, and receive assistance through referrals to treatment and other community resources as needed.
Change on Hamilton – located at 927 Hamilton Street, Allentown.
Programs and Support for Families
Pyramid Healthcare – offers family therapy and education through their Allentown office.
Journeys – is a free, voluntary program focused on helping individuals build a healthy family. If you are pregnant or a caregiver of a child under the age of 18 and taking prescribed medications, substances, or alcohol, help is available.
Programs and Support for Families
Pyramid Healthcare – offers family therapy and education through their Allentown office.
Journeys – is a free, voluntary program focused on helping individuals build a healthy family. If you are pregnant or a caregiver of a child under the age of 18 and taking prescribed medications, substances, or alcohol, help is available.
Programs and Support for Families
Prevention and Intervention
Valley Youth House – drug and alcohol prevention, education and information services are provided in the elementary, middle, high schools and in the community.
Center for Humanistic Change – provides educational and informational programs to prevent substance abuse.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Student Assistance Program (SAP) – designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success.
Your family member’s school should have a prevention and intervention program, encourage them to seek it out.
Prevention and Intervention
Valley Youth House – drug and alcohol prevention, education and information services are provided in the elementary, middle, high schools and in the community.
Center for Humanistic Change – provides educational and informational programs to prevent substance abuse.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Student Assistance Program (SAP) – designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success.
Your family member’s school should have a prevention and intervention program, encourage them to seek it out.
Material adapted for Rise Above Opioids from:
https://pastop.org/
https://www.lehighcounty.org/departments/human-services/drug-alcohol
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/prevention/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/stigma-reduction/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/prevention/preventing-opioid-misuse.html
Material adapted for Rise Above Opioids from:
https://pastop.org/
https://www.lehighcounty.org/departments/human-services/drug-alcohol
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/prevention/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/stigma-reduction/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/prevention/preventing-opioid-misuse.html
