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seeking help
Where do I start?
This varies depending on individual circumstances such as need, insurance, schedules etc. To locate the best method of support you could contact your family physician/pediatrician. You could also start by contacting Winnebago County Dept. of Human Services AODA Services (920) 236-4734 located at 220 Washington Ave. Oshkosh, WI 54901. Staff is prepared to answer your call and will ask you individualized questions to assist you in your resource referral. Be prepared to answer questions about the affected person, the answers you provide helps them direct you further.
Does having a family history of substance abuse make a difference?
Although children of alcoholics and substance abusers have been shown to be at an increased risk for the development of substance abuse and emotional problems, most do not experience such problem. It is important for families to examine both their individual and generational patterns of use and be prepared to answer questions to service providers regarding this history.
How do we cope with this crisis?
Families coping with the substance abuse of a loved one can often struggle with shame, regret, and disappointment. The best way to cope with this crisis is to create a plan of action that is individualized to the affected person’s situation in a way that the whole family can comprehend and function under. There are no magical one-size-fits all solution. Resources and professional contacts provided by re:TH!NK are proposed to serve as navigational tools for families in crisis.
There are a number of approaches that we can take to cope in a positive way while families endure substance abuse problems, including:
- Immediate problem solving: Seeking to fix the problem that is the immediate cause of our difficulty. (What help is needed right now so that drug/alcohol/tobacco use is not the solution?)
- Root-cause solving: Seeking to fix the underlying cause such that the problem will never recur. (Low self-esteem, depression, childhood trauma, anxiety, peer pressure, fear, loss, heartbreak, grief, physical/mental illness, legal difficulties, chronic relapse, family/relationship problems, school or business failures, or chemical imbalance are often the root causes of substance abuse.)
- Benefit finding: Looking for the good things amongst the bad.
- Spiritual growth: Finding ways of turning the problem into a way to grow 'spiritually' or emotionally.
What should families document?
Some families explain the helping process as a maze of resources and referrals. The plain truth is that addiction didn’t happen overnight and neither does the recovery process. This will not be a one-stop shop fix so get into the habit early on of documenting incidents as they occur. Consider Journaling the reactions of the affected person and your own to determine what works and what doesn’t on the road to recovery. These are items you should take note of:
- Dates of assessments, results
- Who you talked to and what treatment programs they provide
- What the anticipated date for program entry is
- Insurance acceptance information
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