Help & Finding Resources

First things first – Emergency Numbers for Substance Use & Mental Health

Miners Talk (UTEP Hotline): 915-747-5302
Emergence Health Network 24-Hour Crisis Line: 915-779-1800
Emergence Health Network 24-Hour Crisis Line: 915-779-1800
National Drug Helpline: 1-844-289-0879
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (also the Veterans Crisis Line): 1-800-273-8255
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
If someone needs immediate help, call or text 911.

What if you’re not sure if you need help? What if you’re looking for help for someone else?

If you’re wanting to do some general searching, the CRP recommends checking out national resources, such as:

• Addiction Group
• The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Texas Department of Health and Human Services (Tx DHS)
• Young People in Recovery

If you’re wanting something more personal, please remember the CRP does not require appointments; students can email or drop by anytime to discuss concerns they may have about their own or other’s use of substances, addictive behaviors, or mental health recovery. The monthly presentations we provide (found on the Activities Page) may also provide general information, if students are not comfortable in a one-to-one situation.

CRP is not the only department on campus who can offer more personal attention and recommend these other campus resources:

• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
• Dean of Students Office (DOS)
• Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education (CARE)
• Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC)

Students can get started at any of these locations and may be referred to other on-campus resources or to community resources. To review a list of resources the CRP has put together related to substance use treatment and recovery, access our Resources Handout.

Levels of Care
One aspect of support/care/help (you name it) that can be particularly confusing is all the different types out there and what differentiates them from one another. Here is a quick overview of Levels of Care (the official term) in order from least to most intensive/structured of environments:

Support Groups – Often non-profit organizations developed on a peer-support foundation of one person helping another based on personal experience. They are often based on specific types of peer groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous helping those who have problems with alcohol or Al-Anon helping friends and family of people who have problems with alcohol or drugs. They are sometimes based on specific religious views, such as Celebrate Recovery (Christian), or Refuge Recovery (Buddhist).

Outpatient Care – Any care with a credentialed professional that does not include being admitted and staying overnight at a hospital or residential facility. This can include therapy, psychiatric medication treatment, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), or partial hospitalization programs (PHP). This type of care can occur once weekly or monthly, once every few months, or even as frequently as multiple times per week.

Inpatient Care – Inpatient care includes being admitted to a medical hospital, psychiatric hospital, or detox facility, usually for around-the-clock observation and medical care. This can include a visit to the ER for medical detox, 72-hour observations, as well as detox that can take days or approximately one week. Inpatient care can be very important because intensive substance use and detox can be physically lethal, result in psychosis or detachment from reality, and can also allow for medically provided relief of detox symptoms. Patients in inpatient care can expect to receive care from doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers and are usually expected to participate in their care regarding their medication regimen and often attending individual, group, and sometimes family counseling.

Residential Care – Once someone is admitted to a program or facility where they will effectively live for several weeks or even months, they have entered residential care. This is sometimes called rehab where people stay for 28 to 30 days. There are also transitional living centers where people live from weeks to months. People in residential care can expect to follow schedules that may include visits with doctors and/or psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, classes for social skills, managing emotions, developing hobbies/interests, caring for physical and daily functioning, family counseling, etc. Sometimes people leave and return to the facility, such as for appointments, but often any activities are monitored both in and outside of the facility by staff.