What are Substance Use Disorders?

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are a diagnoseable illness.

It is common to have co-occurring disorders (both a mental health and substance use disorder).

SUDs cause clinically significant impairment including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.

Substances change the brains chemistry at a biological level.

To learn more about the disease of addiction, read this great article:

https://bradfordhealth.com/the-disease-of-addiction/

To learn more about signs of addiction, click here:

https://bradfordhealth.com/signs-and-symptoms-of-addiction/

What do you know about Bradley County?

Bradley County TN Stats

In 2021 there were:

51 overdose deaths with ages ranging from 17-72.

130 overdose related inpatient stays.

278 outpatient visits involving drug overdose.

Bradley County Sheriff's Office responded to 68 overdose related calls in 2022 and 66 overdose related calls in 2021.

Cleveland Police Department responded to 121 overdose related calls in 2022 and 171 overdose related calls in 2021.

911 received 215 calls related to overdose in 2022 and 320 calls related to overdose in 2021.

For more statistics in Tennessee.

Information provided by the Bradley County Medical Examiners Office, Bradley County Sheriff's Office, Cleveland Police Department, and Bradley County 911, and tn.gov

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a man-made opioid. Because it is so strong and so addictive, it’s being added to heroin, fake prescription pills, even stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine. The result is huge increases in overdoses, and sadly, more Tennesseans than ever dying. These deaths are preventable with knowledge and tools.

Fentanyl is 50x stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine.

Because fentanyl is so strong, people who make illicit (illegal) drugs use fentanyl to make their drugs cheaper and more powerful. They do not have the special equipment that spread out the chemicals evenly. Each pill or powder is not the same. It does not take a lot of fentanyl to cause an overdose, especially for someone who does not usually use opioids.

How can you help?

Help End Stigma

Help end the stigma surrounding SUDs. Individuals with SUDs. Individuals who suffer from SUDs experience much guilt and shame about their illness. Showing a non-judgmental attitude and support can go a long way to helping break down stigma in our society.

Support

Sometimes we want to help our loved one but are unsure of how to support. Support can look different for different people. Support does not mean that you shouldn't take care of yourself and your own needs or that you shouldn't have firm boundaries.

Overdose Reversal

"Overdose education and naloxone distribution programs have been shown in studies to be effective in preventing overdose deaths. By saving lives, overdose reversal medications can give people who use drugs more opportunities to access services they may need, such as treatment and recovery support for people with substance use disorders."

To read more about the importance of overdose reversal click the link below.

To sign up for training, call our office at

423-464-7568.

Education

Educating ourselves empowers us to help ourselves and to help others. Learning about mental health and substance use disorders gives us understanding and a new perspective in showing compassion and support.