Every year International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) provides an important opportunity to remember those who have died from drug overdose, and to spread awareness about the addiction resources that exist in our communities which could save others who are struggling.
Substance abuse is a common problem for many across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022 4% of U.S. adults needed opioid use disorder treatment. However, only 25% of those in need were able to receive recommended medications. Regarding alcohol abuse, over one in 10 Americans aged 12 years and older have Alcohol Use Disorder to some degree, and 385 Americans die as a result of excessive alcohol use every day. This problem also surfaces in Chicagoland with the Cook County Medical Examiners office citing over 1,500 opioid overdose deaths in 2023 alone.
Across our entire Ascension Illinois footprint, we take behavioral health seriously, employing a number of clinical teams from Hoffman Estates to Chicago.
Our Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates acts as an important site for our addiction and overdose services. Here, a specialized team provides thorough healthcare to those in need offering a dual diagnosis approach to address mental health in conjunction with addiction. This allows patients to receive treatment for both at once while seeing a fellowship-trained addictionologist.
“People who suffer from addiction must recognize that nothing is more important than their sobriety. Often ‘family, work and life’ are blamed for getting in the way of sobriety, but those could very well become the things you lose if you do not take your treatment seriously,” said Dr. Salahuddin Syed, an addiction medicine specialist at Ascension Illinois.
For over 35 years, the Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital has offered intensive patient programs. These are programs which require patients to step away from their regular lives in order to receive care to mitigate their symptoms and to learn about how to more healthily manage their own care independently.
Our specialists focus on treating the entire person including their mental health. You and your loved ones can get the advanced care you need for a number of conditions including alcoholism, nicotine addiction and opioid dependency. Looking specifically at opiate abuse healthcare, our team provides medication assisted recovery options to help prevent overdoses. These are often a form of FDA-approved maintenance medications in conjunction with traditional therapy. They can be either injectable or ingestible medication and are viewed as the gold standard in addiction and overdose treatment.
Ascension Illinois is able to provide the full care continuum for addiction use disorder patients, meaning we offer care teams from start to finish throughout the addiction treatment process. This includes detoxification, an inpatient program, partial hospitalization and an outpatient psychiatrist – all of which distinguishes the service line from other addiction centers in the area. The specialists here are able to handle patients with multiple disorders and are always ready to carry out our ministry's Mission in providing care to the poor and vulnerable.
Ascension Illinois also participates in the state’s Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) to aid in reducing the number of opioid overdoses. This happens through the expansion of community-based overdose education and naloxone distribution services. Naloxone is a medication that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
It is also important to remember that people can overdose on most any prescription medication. Large doses of prescription meds can affect physical and mental functioning - and even impact breathing, resulting in the need for a medical intervention. And oftentimes overdoses can have devastating effects, including nerve damage, limb paralysis, organ failure, brain damage and even death.
"Often, people wait until they hit rock bottom to get treatment, but substance use disorders can have some of the highest disease burden and affect all aspects of life. I would recommend getting into treatment preemptively before an unfortunate event such as job loss, divorce, bankruptcy, or a DUI happens,” said Dr. Rohit Shah, an addiction psychiatrist at the Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. “While addiction is often thought of alongside overdose, certain addictions can also contribute to other conditions such as various cancers, heart disease and strokes.”
Look out for these signs if you believe someone you know may be experiencing drug addiction:
Sharp behavioral changes, acting more isolated and irritable, becoming less present for family and friends, and shaking more often than usual.
If you have further questions about behavioral health services available at the Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, visit our website at ascension.org/alexianbehavioral. Our care team also provides free assessments 24/7. Walk-ins are welcome at our facility at 1650 Moon Lake Blvd in Hoffman Estates or call us at 855-383-2224.
