Safe Escape

Become a
Community Cares Champion!

1: What if we don’t have any people in our town involved in substance use disorder?

Town Leader Module 1 is incomplete.

2: How can we be sure that it’s not easy or comfortable for people to misuse substances in our town?

Town Leader Module 2 is incomplete.

3: What’s my responsibility in reducing substance misuse in my town?

Town Leader Module 3 is incomplete.

Track Complete!

Please fill out the form below for your certificate and valuable coupons:

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What is the
Community Cares Challenge?

The Community Cares Challenge provides you the opportunity to become a Community Cares Champion!

Champions will complete three guided modules to learn more about preventing substance misuse. Each module takes you through facts, videos, links, and graphics to help you understand what substance misuse means to you and how you can prevent it.

Community Cares Champions are informed, empowered, and dedicated to making their neighborhoods better by reducing risks of substance misuse in themselves and others. Complete all three modules and quizzes to earn your Community Cares Champion certificate. Certificates may be printed with your name and include valuable coupons for White County vendors.

But the biggest reward of all is knowing that you are a knowledgeable champion fighting substance use disorder in your community!

Resources

Am I Addicted?

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Local Resources

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What if we don’t have
any people in our town
involved in substance
use disorder?

You can’t always tell. Often times,
Substance Abuse can be a silent situation.
This has been more frequently occurring
due to the social isolation. More people
are working from home, where isolation
and seclusion can contribute to the
opportunity for substance misuse.

One may not know someone close to
them has a problem with substance abuse
until something severe happens.

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Statistically, there are people involved
in substance use disorder living in every
town in Indiana.

Take a look at the state map, which
shows the incident rate per 100,000
people of non-fatal overdoses from any
drug in White County in 2019.

Source: gis.in.gov

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You can find out more using this
interactive database:

www.ruralcommunitytoolbox.org/
community-assessment

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Drug overdose is now the No. 1 cause
of unintentional death in the United
States. In 2018, over 67,000 people died
from drug overdoses. The main driver
of these deaths is opioids – including
prescription opioids, heroin, and
fentanyl and its analogues.

Source: www.nsc.org

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Over 50% percent of people who have
misused prescription opioids reported
getting them from friends or relatives.

Most people don't even know that
sharing opioids is a felony.

Source: www.nsc.org

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The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) estimates that the
“economic burden” of prescription
opioid misuse in the United States is
$78.5 billion a year, including the costs
of healthcare, lost productivity, and
addiction treatment.

Source: www.usda.gov

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To learn more about the direct cost of
substance use disorder in specific
workplaces, you can use this tool:

Substance Use Cost Calculator for
Employers from www.nsc.org

Quiz

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Step 1 of 4

Which generation was the first to show increased deaths from opioid overdose?*

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How can we be sure that it’s not easy
or comfortable for people to misuse
substances in our town?

Step One: Acknowledge that people involved in
substance misuse in our county are people who already
live in our county. Caring Communities are not spaces
that invite trouble! They are spaces that promote
wellness and growth.

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Step Two: Understand the challenge of substance misuse and reframe
the question.

What we should be asking
ourselves is “How can we be
sure that it’s easy and
comfortable for people to
avoid substance misuse
in our town?”

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Step Three: Accept that addiction does not discriminate. It affects
all people groups. These are your loved ones we are talking about.
Treat them the same way you treat others and the way you wish to
be treated.

Practice respect.

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Step Four: Reject stigma by refusing to define someone by their
illness. Try and see people as a whole. That lady you see on the curb
who is addicted to heroin is somebody's daughter. She may be an
extraordinary artist. She is a whole person. Her addiction problem
is only a minute part of who she is. She is not an addict, but rather
a human being who deserves love and respect.

Source: https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/debunkingaddiction/

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Step Five:Commit to making White County a community that cares!

Focus on person-first language
and policies that make it easy,
comfortable, and safe for people
to avoid substance misuse in our
town by making connections
and helping others find
meaningful bonds.

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Quiz

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Step 1 of 4

Where do most people who misuse substances in White County live?*

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What’s my responsibility
in reducing substance
misuse in my town?

You should be concerned with
prevention in order to stop new cases
of substance misuse before they start,
and to humanely respond to people
who do begin misusing substances.
Recovery-friendly spaces are
accessible for all people, whether
they have experienced substance
misuse or not. Creating a trauma-
informed, recovery-friendly
community will benefit everyone.

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Become familiar with available
resources for prevention, treatment,
and recovery for substance use
disorders. Some resources have been
collected here for you. Educate
public-facing staff to share these
resources as needed. A good place
to find updated, local resources is
at the United Council on Opioids:

whitecountyunitedway.org/opioids
Be aware that the DSM-5 lists
substance use disorder as a mental
disorder, which creates legal
protections for people experiencing
SUD. Therefore, recovery should be
a consideration in all planning.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Learn more about recovery
communities. The following resources
are lengthy and in-depth, but offer a
framework for developing
organization-wide strategies in
response to substance use disorder.

www.TheNationalCouncil.org
www.RuralCommunityToolbox.org

You don’t need to do this alone!

White County already has a coalition dedicated to
reducing substance use in our county by building a
more resilient community. Consider joining the United
Council on Opioids today! Task forces meet monthly,
and the entire council gathers twice a year to review
their progress.

To contact us for more information, click/tap here.

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UCO Information Request

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You are responsible for building our future.

It can be beautiful, peaceful, and free of substance misuse.

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Quiz

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Step 1 of 4

How can recovery support, which benefits people who have been involved in substance abuse disorder, also aid in preventing substance use disorder?*
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