Substance Abuse and Addictions
Related Topics
Teen alcohol and drug use remains a significant problem in our society. According to recent nationwide studies, about 43 percent of teenagers report having had at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. 
The numbers are particularly high among older high school students: about 46 percent of juniors and 51 percent of seniors. Approximately 25 percent of teenagers report binge drinking—i.e. consuming more than five drinks in a row over a short time period—at least once in the past month. About 20 percent of teens report having used marijuana at least once in the past month. In regard to other illicit drugs, about 7 percent of students reported using cocaine at least once in their lifetime; 3 percent for heroin; 12 percent for inhalants (e.g. glue or paint); 9 percent for hallucinogens (e.g. acid): 6 percent for ecstasy; and 6 percent for methamphetamines (e.g. speed or crystal meth). Abuse of prescription medications is on the rise, with about 1 in 5 teenagers reporting that they have used a prescription medication to get high.
Resource Organizations » Substance Abuse and Addictions
24 listing(s), including 1 with hotlines and 2 offering support groups
In Westford
WASA Westford Against Substance Abuse
WASA was organized in 1986-1987 in response to concerns about
substance abuse problems, both locally and globally. The ongoing
goal of the organization is to educate all members of the Westford
community about substance abuse. A long range goal is to assure
that programs are in place which will aid in the prevention and
treatment of all forms of substance abuse in the community of
Westford. A Board of Directors, made up of a cross section of the
Westford community, manages the affairs of the group.
In Massachusetts
Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS)
www2.massgeneral.org/allpsych/ARMS/index.asp
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114617-643-4699
The Addiction Recovery Management Service, offered by the
Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO), provides
rapid access to information and support combined with outreach and
care management for youth aged 15 - 25 and their families suffering
from substance-related problems. ARMS supplements the traditional
inpatient and outpatient continuum and bridges the gaps in
disjointed systems of treatment with leading expertise and high
quality care management. Building on the Massachusetts General
Hospital (MGH) medical, clinical, and addiction research resources
within the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine, ARMS facilitates
comprehensive, research-informed, care maximizing the chances for
youth recovery.
Alanon and Alateen
www.ma-al-anon-alateen.org
57 East Main Street
Westborough, MA 01581MA: 508-366-0556
National Toll Free: 888-425-2666
Alateen and Al-Anon are 12-step support programs that help families
and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of their loved
one's addiction. Members meet regularly to learn a better way of
life, to find happiness whether the alcoholic is still drinking or
not. Alateen offers support to adolescents affected by someone
else's alcoholism. The only requirement of membership in Al-Anon
and Alateen is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative
or friend. Visit the website for a list of meetings in your area.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is 12-step support program for recovering
alcoholics to share their experience, strength, and hope with each
other so that together they may achieve sobriety. The only
requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are
no dues or fees for AA membership. Visit the AA website for a list
of meetings in your area or www.aaboston.org.
Cambridge and Somerville Program for Alcoholism and Drug Abuses Rehabilitation (CASPAR)
CASPAR is a nonprofit organization founded in 1970 in response to
the need for community-based services for those affected by
substance use disorders. Since then CASPAR has built a
comprehensive array of outreach, shelter, stabilization,
residential, aftercare, education, and prevention services to meet
the needs of diverse populations through programs that are safe,
accessible, and supportive. CASPAR serves a diverse population of
high risk men, women, children and adolescents, most of whom are
uninsured and indigent.
Casa Esperanza
Casa Esperanza is a recognized leader in developing holistic
approaches to substance abuse treatment, with a reputation for
having caring, highly skilled substance abuse counselors and other
service providers. We now operate a residential treatment facility
for 29 men; a residential treatment facility for 20 women and their
children; 23 units of Supportive Housing for individuals and
families; and a Relapse Prevention and Outpatient Services program,
which provides aftercare services for individuals and families in
recovery.
Understanding that recovery is a lifelong process, Casa Esperanza has continued to evolve to meet the unique, long-term needs of people in recovery, providing integrated, bilingual/bicultural tailored services to each individual and each family, including: affordable sober housing; parent-child education and reunification; job training, placement, and advancement; trauma counseling; and health and wellness services, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tobacco cessation, nutrition and exercise. By focusing on whole people, not a single problem, Casa seeks to help families regain the lives they have lost and create a strong, supportive community for those who hope to follow in their footsteps.
Understanding that recovery is a lifelong process, Casa Esperanza has continued to evolve to meet the unique, long-term needs of people in recovery, providing integrated, bilingual/bicultural tailored services to each individual and each family, including: affordable sober housing; parent-child education and reunification; job training, placement, and advancement; trauma counseling; and health and wellness services, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tobacco cessation, nutrition and exercise. By focusing on whole people, not a single problem, Casa seeks to help families regain the lives they have lost and create a strong, supportive community for those who hope to follow in their footsteps.
Institute for Health and Recovery
The Institute for Health and Recovery is a statewide service,
research, policy, and program development agency. IHR's mission is
to develop a comprehensive continuum of care for individuals,
youth, and families affected by alcohol, tobacco, and other drug
use, mental health problems, and violence/trauma.
Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling
www.masscompulsivegambling.org
190 High Street, Suite 5
Boston, MA 02110Helpline: 800-426-1234
617-426-4554
The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling is a private,
non-profit health agency dedicated to reducing the social,
financial, and emotional costs of problem gambling.
The Council has been instrumental in bringing the issue of problem gambling to the attention of the public and policymakers, offering resources to problem gamblers, their loved ones, and concerned members of the community. The Council offers a toll-free Helpline which provides live confidential caller responses (including treatment referrals) 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
The Council has been instrumental in bringing the issue of problem gambling to the attention of the public and policymakers, offering resources to problem gamblers, their loved ones, and concerned members of the community. The Council offers a toll-free Helpline which provides live confidential caller responses (including treatment referrals) 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program
The Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program is
dedicated to reducing the health and economic burden of tobacco use
by: preventing young people from starting to smoke, helping current
smokers quit protecting children and adults from secondhand smoke,
identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities.
Middlesex Human Service Agency, Inc.
The mission of Middlesex Human Service Agency, Inc. is to improve
the quality of life and independent functioning of a wide variety
of clients through the delivery of an extensive system of
community-based substance abuse and social service programs.
Programs include substance abuse recovery homes, inpatient alcohol education & treatment for adults convicted of two or more OUI offenses, shelter, food, & housing search assistance for the homeless.
Programs include substance abuse recovery homes, inpatient alcohol education & treatment for adults convicted of two or more OUI offenses, shelter, food, & housing search assistance for the homeless.
Nar-Anon
www.nar-anon.org
Offers support group(s)
22527 Crenshaw Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90505Toll Free: 800-477-6291
310-534-8188
Nar-Anon members are relatives and friends who are concerned about
the addiction or drug problem of another. Its program of recovery
is adapted from Narcotics Anonymous and uses the twelve-step model.
Nar-Anon members share their experiences, strength, and hope at
weekly meetings. Joining is easy; just attend a meeting. There are
no dues or fees. The only requirement for membership is that there
is a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. Nar-Anon is not
affiliated with any other organization or outside entity. Listings
of local meetings as are available on the website.
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit 12-step support program for men
and women recovering from their addiction to drugs. Members meet
regularly to help each other stay clean. Membership is open to all
drug addicts, regardless of the particular drug or combination of
drugs used. There are no dues or fees for membership. Visit the NA
website for a list of meetings in your area.
Nurturing Program for Parents in Recovery, Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts
www.familynurturing.org/programs-nurturing.htm#recovery
200 Bowdoin Street
Dorchester, MA 02122617-474-1143
Fax: 617-474-1261
For the past several years, the Family Nurturing Center has worked
in partnership with The Institute for Health and Recovery to
develop programs to support families in recovery. The Institute has
field tested and published a specially designed curriculum for
teaching nurturing skills to those parents who are struggling with
both their own recovery issues and the needs of their children.
This curriculum has been distributed nationally and is being used
in several residential and day treatment programs across
Massachusetts. FNC and the Institute worked together to develop and
field test a children's component to the program. This curriculum
has been used successfully in a variety of locations.
Step Inc.
STEP has provided outreach and recovery support in Boston for
people with addictions since 1974. STEP also operates a Recovery
Support Center in Roxbury and coordinates services at the Billerica
HOC. Services include individual outpatient counseling, Alcohol and
Other Drug (AOD) evaluations for court referrals, crisis
intervention, outreach, integrated recovery case management, which
includes referral using STEP as a home base, Violence Intervention
/ Prevention (VIP) Program, and support groups including AA.
The Cambridge Needle Exchange Program (NEP)
www.ccaa.org/needle_exchange.html
17 Sellers Street
Cambridge, MA 02139Direct Line: 617-599-0219
Drop-In Center: 617-599-0246
The Cambridge Needle Exchange Program (NEP) doesn't just exchange
clean needles: our mission is to encourage any positive change. The
NEP offers a variety of services to injection drug users, including
anonymous HIV counseling and testing, educational groups, an
Overdose Prevention and Reversal Program including Narcan
distribution, and direct linkages to drug treatment programs,
primary health care and other support services. The NEP operates a
drop-in center for members of the program where we serve coffee and
small meals and provide a safe, comfortable space for people to
relax. All NEP services are based in the harm reduction philosophy
which encourages personal responsibility in a non-judgmental
manner.
Cambridge's Needle Exchange Program is run by AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.
Cambridge's Needle Exchange Program is run by AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness
namimass.org
400 West Cummings Park
Suite 6650
Woburn, MA 01801781-938-4048
Toll Free: 800-370-9085
Fax: 781-938-4069
The National Alliance on Mental Illness maintains a helpline for
informaion on mental illnesses and referrals to local groups. The
local self-help groups have support and adocacy components and
offer education and information about community services for
families and individuals. For information about the Alliance's
affiliates and activities in MA, contact NAMI Massachusetts.
Outside Massachusetts
Organizations with hotlines
Nineline
Covenant House Nineline is for kids who need to talk. Crisis
counselors are available 24/7 to discuss issues around family,
relationships, feelings, suicide, basic needs, abuse, health, sex,
drugs and alcohol, and running away. The hotline is free and
confidential. The Nineline website has information for young people
on a wide range of physical and mental health topics.
Organizations without hotlines
Check Your Gambling
Check Your Gambling is a personalized feedback intervention for
problem gamblers. The site presents a series of questions relating
to your gambling activities and their consequences, and basic
demographic details. Once you have completed the questions (which
only takes a few minutes), you are presented with personalized
feedback. This feedback includes a comparison of your gambling
behavior with normative data; a summary of your overall rating
along with a description of what it means (non-problem gambler,
low-risk gambler, moderate-risk gambler, problem gambler); and a
summary of cognitive distortions about gambling with a summary
about the error of each belief. Also included are some suggested
techniques that could be used to lower the risk associated with
your gambling. The length of the feedback varies depending on your
answers, but should take no more than 10 to 20 minutes to read.
Families Anonymous, Inc.
Families Anonymous is a 12-step support group of concerned
relatives and friends whose lives have been adversely affected by a
loved one's addiction to alcohol or drugs. See the website for a
list of local meetings in your area; online meetings are also
offered.
Gam-Anon
Gam-Anon is a 12-Step, self-help program for the family members,
friends, and loved ones of compulsive gamblers. Gam-Anon's purposes
are three-fold: To learn acceptance and understanding of the
gambling illness; to use the program and its problem solving
suggestions as aids in rebuilding our lives and, upon our own
recovery, to give assistance to those who suffer.
Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their
experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve
their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling
problem. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop
gambling. There are no dues or fees for Gamblers Anonymous
membership. Gamblers Anonymous is not allied with any sect,
denomination, politics, organization or institution. It neither
endorses nor opposes any cause. Its primary purpose is to help
compulsive gamblers end their addiction through its 12-step
program.
On-line Gamers Anonymous
On-Line Gamers Anonymous is a self-help fellowship. We share our
experience, strengths and hope to assist in recovery from the
problems caused by excessive game playing, whether it be computer,
video, console, or on-line. Our community includes recovering
gamers, family members, loved ones, friends, and concerned others.
We know how powerful, cunning, baffling and destructive excessive
game playing can be. It can be devastating to the real-world lives
of gamers and to those close to them. OLGA/OLG-Anon provides a
resource for open discussion, support, education and referrals. We
advocate and provide a 12-Step Program of recovery. The
OLGA/OLG-Anon website includes a directory of 12-Step meetings
(both on-line and face-to-face), a list of relevant reading
materials, links to recent media articles, and referrals to
professionals in your area who specialize in the treatment of
gaming addiction.
Sex Addicts Anonymous
As a fellowship of recovering addicts, Sex Addicts Anonymous offers
a message of hope to anyone who suffers from sex addiction. Through
long and painful experience, we came to realize that we were
powerless over our sexual thoughts and behaviors and that our
preoccupation with sex was causing progressively severe adverse
consequences for us, our families, and our friends. Despite many
failed promises to ourselves and attempts to change, we discovered
that we were unable to stop acting out sexually by ourselves. Local
meetings provide an environment of acceptance, safety, and
encouragement for learning how to apply the Twelve Step Program in
our lives. Although each group within SAA is autonomous, meetings
typically consist of readings from recovery literature and sharing
how the Twelve Steps have led to recovery for us. Meetings also
offer opportunities for learning how to reach out and to serve
other sex addicts.The only requirement for membership in SAA is the
desire to stop addictive sexual behavior. There are no fees or
dues. Local groups are self-supporting from voluntary contributions
of their members.
SOS Fires: Youth Intervention Programs
SOS FIRES provides a wide range of training and resources for all
disciplines involved in youth firesetting intervention and behavior
management. Its website includes information on firesetting for
parents, teachers, and professionals, as well as listings of
assessment and treatment services across the US.
Additional Sources of Information
- From Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families, published in 2009: Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders.
- Donald F. Cutler Prevention Center/FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency), located in Newton, MA, is the leading international nonprofit provider of K-12 onsite drug education and substance abuse prevention services for schools across the United States and around the world. The site includes links to resources for students, parents, and educators.
- National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia) publishes an annual National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse. A full list of their publications is available at CASA Books, Field Guides and Reports.CASA also maintains an online Resource Center.
Disclaimer: Material on the MSPP INTERFACE Referral Service website is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. The MSPP INTERFACE Referral Service urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.
