(WNY News Now) – Jamestown, N.Y. – In this holiday season, the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County (MHA) wants to spread the word about the resources available for you or a family member suffering from a mental health or substance use disorder.
“The MHA is here to support those in recovery or seeking help for a mental health or substance use disorder, but there are also many other sources of help, both locally and by simply dialing a phone number,” says MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb.
The CombatAddictionCHQ.com website is a resource for tools and resources for the prevention of, treatment for, and recovery from addiction in Chautauqua County as well as where to connect in a crisis.
photo: MHA
Across the United States, anyone considering suicide can call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They will hear a greeting message while their call is being routed to a local crisis center within the Lifeline network, based on the caller’s area code.
A less familiar help is Never Use Alone. Their national toll-free number–(877) 696-1996– provides overdose prevention, detection, life-saving crisis response and medical intervention services for people who use drugs while alone. Never Use Alone’s peer operators are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Their website, NeverUseAlone.com, proclaims “No shaming, no judgment, no preaching, just love!”
“I recently became aware of the Never Use Alone lifeline,” Cobb says. “It is a free call for people who are alone while they are using so someone is monitoring them for safety and to prevent overdose while they use. It’s a remarkable service.” Slate and National Public Radio’s This American Life collaborated on an article and a podcast about the service. The Slate article is at slate.com/human-interest/2023/
Cobb cites another reason for hope: an Addiction: The Next Step podcast that features Ken Kendall, MHA peer specialist and manager of the Dunkirk Recovery and Wellness Center. This weekly production of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Support (OASAS). “Ten Overdoses. One Week. One Man’s Inspiring Recovery Story” (buzzsprout.com/2186676/
Kendall details his 42-year addiction that began at age eight when an uncle introduced him to marijuana to ease his loneliness and guilt following his parents’ divorce. Sexual assault by two different family members had him “messed up in the head.” At 13 he was free-basing cocaine and by 18 he had found methamphetamine.
After finally overdosing 10 times in one week, driving over 100 mph while being chased by state troopers, and hitting a parked car, Kendall wound up in the Warren County jail, where he dreamed he had hit and killed a child. When he learned he hadn’t hurt anyone was when he decided to change his life.
Kendall’s message to anyone in addiction or their loved ones: “I believe that every life is worth saving…there’s a lot of organizations out there, a lot of programs out there that can help your family member or yourself find your path to the recovery that you want, so don’t give up hope. Because as long as we have breath in our bodies, we have the opportunity or the ability to make a life-changing decision and change our lives for the better.”
The MHA commits to radical acceptance, empowerment, and advocacy for our community members who struggle with mental health and substance use.
All MHA programs and services are free.
Anyone with questions or in need of services for themselves or a family member suffering from a mental health or substance use disorder is welcome to call or stop in at the Jamestown recovery center at Door 14 in the rear of the Gateway Center, 31 Water Street. It is open Monday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and Saturday 9:30-11 a.m.
Hours for the Dunkirk Recovery and Wellness Center at Grace Lutheran Church, 601 Eagle Street, are 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
To learn more about the Mental Health Association, call (716) 661-9044 or visit MHAChautauqua.org or facebook.com/MHAChautauqua. A schedule with descriptions of MHA’s dozens of groups and classes is at MHAchautauqua.org/groups.
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