Substance Use/Mental Health Information, Education, & Support

What is drug addiction? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder with compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite harmful consequences, with long-lasting changes in the brain. Addiction is the most severe form on a spectrum of substance use disorders, and is a medical illness caused by repeated misuse of a substance or substances. 

Physical dependence can occur with the regular (daily or almost daily) use of any substance, legal or illegal, even when taken as prescribed. It occurs because the body naturally adapts to regular exposure to a substance (e.g., caffeine or a prescription drug). When that substance is taken away, symptoms can emerge while the body re-adjusts to the loss of the substance. Physical dependence can lead to craving the drug to relieve the withdrawal symptoms. Tolerance is the need to take higher doses of a drug to get the same effect. It often accompanies dependence, and it can be difficult to distinguish the two. 

What are the 4 symptoms of substance use disorder?

• Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day.
• Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts.
• Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect.
• Taking larger amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended.

Go to this confidential and anonymous resource for persons seeking treatment for mental and substance use disorder - FIND TREATMENT.

Looking for Recovery Meetings for support with drug addiction/substance use disorders? This link  stays updated with current recovery meetings in Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet. Looking for the Outer Cape regional Opioid-Settlement funded programs? This webpage lists the current slate of vendors providing harm reduction, recovery, prevention and other services free to residents.

The Lower Cape towns offer a free mental health and well-being platform to help residents find trusted resources and self-help before a crisis. Click here for the roll-out PSA.

Here is the CredibleMind link: lowercape.crediblemind.com Click here for the program flyer.

What the CredibleMind platform provides: 

• Trusted, evidence-based content: Peer-reviewed articles and expert-rated resources updated regularly.
• Confidential self-assessments: Learn about personal well-being and track progress over time.
• Local connections: Simple pathways to town and regional services and supports.
• Community insights (anonymous): Aggregated trends help public agencies tailor prevention and early-intervention efforts.
• Translations in Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian Creole expand access for Cape residents.
• Important: CredibleMind is for education and self-help and is not a crisis service. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental-health emergency, call 911. For urgent emotional support, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA ): Mental health and substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life and all age groups. These illnesses are common, recurrent, and often serious, but they are treatable and many people do recover. Mental disorders involve changes in thinking, mood, and/or behavior. These disorders can affect how we relate to others and make choices. Reaching a level that can be formally diagnosed often depends on a reduction in a person’s ability to function as a result of the disorder. For example:

• Serious mental illness is defined by someone over 18 having (within the past year) a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
• For people under the age of 18, the term “Serious Emotional Disturbance” refers to a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder in the past year, which resulted in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child’s role or functioning in family, school, or community activities.
• Substance use disorders occur when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs causes clinically significant impairment, including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.

Go to this resource for persons seeking mental health guidance - UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH. On the Cape, there is Bay Cove Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (BCBH) for substance use services, crisis intervention, outpatient therapy and other care coordination.

The coexistence of both a mental health and a substance use disorder is referred to as co-occurring disorders. The National Institute for Mental Health Mental Health Information page has information about specific conditions and disorders as well as their symptoms. Locally, the Outer Cape Health Services Navigator program assist residents with unmet medical, behavioral health, or human service needs, including connection to community resources such as social services, mental health services, substance abuse services. 

The Community Resource Navigator program accepts residents of all Lower and Outer Cape towns regardless of insurance. Referrals for the CRN program can be made by residents themselves, family members, service providers, or community members. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting CRNavigator@outercape.org or calling (774) 209-3222.

Outer Cape Health Services also offers several recovery services -- Click here for a flyer. To self-refer or to refer a patient, email recoveryservices@outercape.org or call 508-905-2892.

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FIND A NALOX BOX (AKA OPIOID RESCUE KIT) NEAR YOU: ASGCC Nalox Box Locations