Substance Use Resources
All of our plans offer access to top-quality doctors and hospitals, plus free coverage for preventive care. Free. And we mean it. These services are covered from day one and are offered by doctors and providers within your plan's network.
We may be more familiar with terms like alcoholic, addict, or addiction to describe someone with a Substance Use Disorder.
What is Substance Use?
As a community, we are moving away from the use of those terms and progressed to identify a Substance Use Disorder as a disease that affects your brain and your behavior. Substance Use Disorders involve recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs causes the following significant impairments:
What are the signs of Substance Use Disorder?
- Inability to stop using drug(s)/alcohol
- Failure to meet responsibilities at work, school or at home
- Needing more of the drug.alcohol to feel the same effects (Tolerance)
- Health Problems
- Sudden change in friends/social network
- Drinking/Using substances that leads to risky behavior
- Physical withdrawal symptoms when not using alcohol/substances
- Financial problems
What are Opioids?
Opioids are a class of drugs that are sometimes also referred to as Opiates. These drugs include painkillers such as morphine, Codeine, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, Fentanyl and illegal drugs such as heroin.
Doctors often prescribe prescription drugs for dental procedures, surgeries, injuries and chronic conditions like cancer. Opioids are highly addictive.
What are the signs and symptoms of Opioid Use Disorder?
- Inability to stop using
- Physical Agitation
- Poor Decision Making
- Mood Swings
- Euphoria (Feeling High)
- Physical withdrawal symptoms including sweating, chills, diarrhea, pain, insomnia, nausea and vomiting
What are the symptoms of an overdose?
- Slow breathing or no breathing at all
- Slow pulse or no pulse
- Small Pupils
A substance use disorder is a medical condition that requires treatment to recover. The type(s) of treatment depend on the individual and the severity of condition. If not treated, substance use disorders can get worse and also impact other medical/mental health conditions.
The severity of a substance use disorder can range from mild, moderate, to severe based on how the substance use has affected the individual’s life. It is possible that person can suffer from multiple substance use disorders with different levels of severity at the same time, so the focus of the treatment providers is often addressing the substance that can potentially cause the most harm.
Negative consequences to substance use do not always cause an individual to stop using; and often result in feelings of guilt/shame that add to the psychological triggers to continue use.
What can I do to get help?
Recognizing the need for help is the first step with substance use disorders. Work with your doctor as you may be able to avoid withdrawal symptoms that require immediate medical attention in detoxification.
There are different types of treatment for Substance Use Disorders including outpatient treatments including detoxification, inpatient treatment including detoxification, residential treatment and medications that help opioid disorders.
You can call NYS HOPEline at 1-877-846-7369 in NYS for 24/7 help.
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Disorders: Medications like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone are effective treatments for opioid use disorder. You can speak with your doctor who may be able to treat you with these medications or refer you to a provider who can.
We are here for you: Behavioral Health Case Management for Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders.
Our Behavioral Health Care Managers are experienced health care professionals who are available to support and guide you through the complexities of today's health care system. They can assist with:
- Identifying barriers preventing health care goals from being met
- Arranging quicker access to care
- Finding answers to questions and providing education about a health condition, treatment or maintaining your treatment plan support
- Obtaining referrals to programs or community resources to assist with your illness
- Medication and treatment education and compliance
- Education and support for self-care and decision-making
- Evaluating your progress toward your goals using regular telephone contact
- Navigating through your insurance benefit information
- Additional support that you and your family may need during your illness
- A link between you and your doctor's office to assist with arranging the best care for you
Access to your Behavioral Health Care Manager is easy!
Call toll-free 1-800-277-2198, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m to 5 p.m EST. If you call after hours, leave a voice mail and your call will be returned the next business day.