Online drug abuse prevention resources have the power to educate anyone who has access to the internet. According to Kasey Strey, director of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response effort, one in five Texans have experienced an opioid overdose or know someone who has. The Texas Health and Human Services’ new website can give Texans the opportunity to have the tools to fight against opioid abuse and overdose. Is it helping?
The Opioid Crisis in Texas
Four of the nation’s top 25 cities for opioid misuse are in Texas — Texarkana, Amarillo, Odessa, and Longview. Texas Health and Human Services has launched a new website, TXOpioidResponse.org, to encourage the fight against opioid misuse and overdose. According to this new website, from 1999 to 2016, 15,410 people died of an opioid-related overdose in Texas. This new website features the latest information, videos, and helpful resources to educate the public. There are also tips for safe opioid use and information about the dangers of misusing prescription opioid medications. As soon as you go on the site’s homepage, there is an educational video about the dangers of opioid misuse and how you have the power to change your life for the better without drugs.
Website Features
When you scroll to the bottom of the website, you will see a list of links to resources to help you on your path to recovery. The list of prevention programs will show you where you can safely dispose of any leftover medication you no longer need, older adult opioid misuse prevention, frameworks for safe opioid use, and more. There are also lists of types of treatment programs in the form of office-based and clinic-based. For Texans in recovery, TXOpioidResponse.org talks about the forms of recovery that the Texas Targeted Opioid Response effort promotes such as peer support, hospital-based treatment, mobile crisis outreach teams, and much more.
Getting Help
On the “Get Help” tab at the top, you will be connected to a number of helplines to help you with any substance abuse problem but your mental health as well. There are helplines like the SAMHSA National Helpline, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and more. At the bottom of the page is a form where you can submit a prevention center for the website to list that has helped you before. TXOpioidResponse.org has the potential to educate Texans on opioid abuse and addiction as well as preventing overdoses in their area.
Texas has been hit very hard by the opioid epidemic where one in five people have experienced an opioid overdose or know someone who has. Texas Health and Human Services has made it their mission to educate Texans with information about opioid misuse and overdose prevention in the form of a new website. Alta Loma understands the dangers of opioid abuse and is here to help you whenever you need it. We can provide you with 12-step programs, recreational therapeutic activities, life and coping skills education, medication management, and more. Please call (866) 457-3843 for more information about our services.
