My Choice Matters
Cape Cod is united in its choice to address substance use.
When it comes to substance use, choice matters – our choices as individuals and our choices as a society. Whether it be a young person standing at a party being offered alcohol for the first time, or a person in active addiction deciding now is the time to take steps toward recovery, their choices will impact their lives and the lives of those around them.
Working in areas across prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery, we are united in our efforts to empower each citizen to believe that “My Choice Matters.”
Massachusetts Good Samaritan Law
The Good Samaritan Law protects victims and those who call 911 for help from charge, prosecution, and conviction for possession or use of controlled substances.
The Latest
2021 New SAMHSA Advisories
SAMHSA has published a series of Advisories based on existing Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) and Technical Assistance Publications (TAPs). These Advisories summarize updated guidance and recommendations on topics in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field. The new Advisories include:
- Advisory: Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
- Advisory: Using Motivational Interviewing in Substance Use Disorder Treatment
- Advisory: Screening and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis in People With Substance Use Disorders
- Advisory: Screening and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Among Adolescents
- Advisory: Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Use Treatment
- Advisory: Treating Substance Use Disorders Among People With HIV
- Advisory: Group Therapy in Substance Use Treatment
- Advisory: The Substance Use Disorder Counseling Competency Framework: An Overview
- Advisory: Integrating Vocational Services into Substance Use Disorder Treatment
To view these and other SAMHSA publications, visit https://store.samhsa.gov/.
Did US emergency department (ED) visits for mental health, suicide attempts, overdose, and violence outcomes change during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic?
Findings
This cross-sectional study of almost 190 million ED visits found that visit rates for mental health conditions, suicide attempts, all drug and opioid overdoses, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect were higher in mid-March through October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the same period in 2019.
Meaning
These findings suggest that ED use and priorities for care seeking shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring mental health, substance use, and violence risk screening and prevention needs during public health crises.
To read the full study, click here.
Quick Links
Get the Facts
With so much information available at our fingertips, facts can get lost in the stories. Get the facts about substance use on Cape Cod, how substances impact the brain and body, and answers to your most frequently asked questions.
Tips
Research shows that increasing fear about drugs and alcohol can actually increase teenage use. So, parents can list the benefits of avoiding substance use - like getting into a good college or performing well in sports and other extracurricular activities.
Find Help
If you’re wondering if your substance use is a problem, it probably is. Your choice to address your substance use, or help a friend, is the first step to a healthier life. Call 800-327-5050 for the Substance Abuse Information and Education Helpline.
Choice Matters
My Choice Matters is a social norming campaign that works with a coordinated system of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery partners who seek to reverse statistics so that Cape Cod Communities remain happy, healthy, safe and thriving.
