Asking for help is always hard. It’s especially hard when it involves addiction.
If you’re the addict, it’s hard because you have to face the truth.
If you love an addict, it’s hard because you also have to face the truth.
With addiction, you have to get honest, which is never easy. Too often, people struggling with addiction and their families suffer in isolation, grappling with this need for honesty and self-reflection.
Once you decide to heal, however, “you” becomes “we,” and that makes all the difference.
Reaching out helps you heal in a community with those who understand your experiences.
Luckily, there are many resources throughout the Houston area available to you when you reach out for help. These drug and alcohol recovery resources can help guide you to the right information, the best addiction treatment choices for you, and a sense of common understanding and compassion.
Where to Start if You’re in Crisis
Know that you can call most treatment centers, like Houston’s Into Action Recovery Centers, at any time, day or night. There’s a reason we keep these phone lines open 24/7. We’re available at 844-694-3576.
Houston’s Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous also has an open phone line 24 hours each day. They can be reached at:
AA Houston
- (713) 686-6300 (English) or www.aahouston.org
- (713) 683-9277 (Spanish/Español)
NA Houston
- (713) 661-4200 (English) or www.hascona.com
- (888) 600-6229 (Spanish/Español)
Houston’s National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) also provides a lengthy list of 24-hour Houston crisis numbers.
These crisis numbers extend to both people struggling with addiction and families of addiction.
Remember one in eight American adults fits the diagnostic criteria for alcoholism, according to a major 2017 study. More than 88,000 people die each year as a result of alcoholism and more than 70,000 from drug overdoses, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Do not use embarrassment as an excuse to avoid reaching out. You are not alone.
Where to Start to Learn More About Addiction
Maybe you want to learn more about addiction before taking any action.
Treatment centers, like Into Action, are in the business of helping. We want you to have the information you need to make informed decisions about seeking addiction treatment. Picking up the phone or visiting our site doesn’t mean you necessarily need treatment today. It can simply be the beginning of a longer conversation.
- Houston’s NAMI also provides useful links for anyone hoping to educate themselves about addiction:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has a website and several hotlines available for people seeking information about addiction.
- Houston’s Al-anon chapter provides free literature on addiction-related topics:
- Houston’s Alcoholics Anonymous offers more information. The “Newcomers” tab links to a 24-hour hotline and online chat portal: aahouston.org/about-aa/for-the-newcomer/
Where to Start to Find Help For Your Addiction
You’ve decided to take action and seek help. Now what?
Houston has both free and private resources available for anyone interested in recovery treatment, counseling, family support, and recovery support.
For starters, consider attending an Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or Al-Anon meeting. Visit or call these groups using the information found above. Try out at least six meetings before you make a decision about continuing. If you can’t make an in-person meeting, online and phone meetings are now options for AA, NA, and Al-Anon.
Call a treatment center and have a conversation. Remember that what you tell a reputable treatment program will remain private. Even if you admit you have a problem, no one will force you into treatment.
Where to Start for Families and Loved Ones of Addicts
Maybe you feel you’ve tried everything, and your loved one is still using substances. Start thinking in terms of your own recovery. Remember, with addiction, we can’t control anyone’s choice to stay sick.
We can, however, get ourselves help. And, sometimes, putting our own lives back in order offers our loved one a path to healing.
Living with active drug and alcohol addiction is a heavy burden to carry, too heavy for most.
Give yourself the gift of help. Contact a group like Al-Anon for support from other families experiencing both addiction and recovery. Call a treatment center to better understand options for your loved one. Use resources from groups like SAMHSA and NAMI to better educate yourself about addiction and its toll.
Asking for help is hard, but so is living with addiction. Reach out. People are waiting to celebrate your courage.