Intermountain Health Addiction Medicine and Recovery Clinics offers help battling addiction, and overcoming the stigma involved.
(PRUnderground) March 29th, 2025
One of the biggest barriers for people to reach out for help with battling substance use disorders is the stigma that comes with admitting you are addicted. Whether it is you that has a substance use disorder, or a loved one, asking for help is a crucial step.
Removing Stigma
Intermountain Health experts have been working to get the word out about options to help those battling addiction. Recently, the treatment clinics, formerly known as Dayspring Treatment and Recovery Clinics, changed their name to Intermountain Health Addiction Medicine & Recovery (AMR) Clinics, as a way to make it easier to seek help.
Addiction medicine has been recognized as a formal medical subspecialty since 1990. According to the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), addiction medicine is concerned with the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery of persons with the disease of addiction, of those with substance-related health conditions, and of people who show unhealthy use of substances.
Robert Mendenhall, DO, addiction medicine medical director with Intermountain Heath said, “We are excited to continue to serve all people in our system who need help with addiction, and provide a clear place to contact where they can receive the care they need and help them to live their healthiest life possible.”
The different levels of care at Addiction Medicine and Recovery Clinics for substance use disorders
First, it’s important to know what we see at the Addiction Medicine & Recovery Clinics, which are Intermountain’s program to assist patients on the road to recovery from addiction. We offer as a healthcare system medical detox, intensive outpatient and general outpatient services for drug and alcohol use disorders. This includes individual counseling, group counseling, and family counseling. We also offer specific treatment for opioid use disorder in our opioid treatment program.
How to help/support an addict in treatment
Get educated. Learn more about the type of substances your loved one might struggle with to recognize the appropriate signs and symptoms. Also learn more about the delivery of care. There are many access points for treatment in our community, some private, some public and a lot of services interwoven within the judicial system. Each county in the state will have a division of substance use that can serve as a resource hub for family and loved ones as well a brokerage services for individuals seeking treatment.
Substance use disorders are tough for both those addicted as well as their loved ones. Making sure that loved ones get help as needed is a big part of the treatment process.
Seek psychiatric care with a practitioner specifically trained in substance use disorders. There are many medications designed to treat these disorders, and they can make all the difference.
What NOT to do if you know and love someone addicted to drugs, etc.
Treat it as a medical problem, not a moral failure. Avoid heavy conversations about choice. Once someone is physiologically dependent on a substance, it becomes less about choice and more about compulsive uncontrollable behavior. Heavy “tough love” conversations often back-fire, especially when delivered by a loved one, because it can lead to a lot of shame and fear, often activating their addictive behavior.
The appropriate line between helping and enabling can be really hard for loved ones to find. Learning how to hold your loved one accountable with supportive and healthy boundaries is good for them and good for the loved ones.
Acute substance use disorders are chronic in nature. Because of that, it’s important to focus on the remedies not the cures. In other words, chasing a quick fix often leads parties feeling defeated. Individuals who are successful in their recovery will build a lifestyle and a community that supports their recovery over their lifetime.
Avoid television style interventions, especially while in their altered reality. Getting someone to “see the light” when utterly wasted for example does nothing for them and only frustrates you. Best to get them sober and then have a talk when they’re clear headed.
How does someone’s current mental well-being play into the drive to seek help?
Substance use disorders are shrouded in shame and rejection. In many ways they are diseases of disconnection and internal conflict. The hardest part of an addiction is the person’s inability to self-regulate how they want to. This drives a negative relationship with oneself, prompting a perpetual need to self-medicate. Deep down, people who are addicted know this, are more eager to change than we sometimes realize. Their capacity to change is more of the struggle than say their desire. We help with a lot of support, understanding and community.
Visit intermountainhealthcare.org/behavioralhealth to learn more.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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