Saturday is International Overdose Awareness Day, part of a global effort to stop overdose deaths, remember those who have passed and encourage support and recovery.
"The struggle of opioid use disorder is not an individual issue, it’s best helped when we have a system that’s involved really pulling together all our different resources in the community, so the more we can get the information out there the better," said Linda Hood.
Hood is the clinical director at Recovery First in Hollywood. She said they serve roughly 300 clients a month, nearly always at capacity.
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Almost a third of adults in the U.S. know someone who has died of a drug overdose, according to John’s Hopkins research.
Hood said understanding trauma helps reduce stigma which is one of the biggest barriers to battling addiction and healing, compounded with cultural, community and societal beliefs.
"I haven’t honestly worked with a patient that didn’t have trauma at one point in their life, and I see people mostly with complex trauma, traumas that have happened over and over in their lifetime," Hood said.
According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, there has been a slight decrease in reported overdose deaths, down 6.9% in the past year.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra released a statement saying in part: “Drug overdoses do not discriminate – rich or poor, Black or white, urban, suburban or rural, drug overdoses reach every corner of our society. Drug overdoses destroy lives, families, and communities. Today, we honor the memory of those we have lost to overdose and recommit ourselves to help and support the ones we can still save.”
Hood and her team work to do the same.
"Hope is contagious the reality is that most people get well and there’s treatment out there, we have inpatient, outpatient, virtual treatment now, so many different options, there is hope," she said.
To learn more about the services offered by Recovery First, go here.
