Learn before you decide
Guides, answers, and support for getting help
Practical guides for families, symptom self-checks, and honest answers about what treatment involves — so the next step is an informed one.
Start here
Three guides for the questions people ask first
Help for a parent
When your mother or father needs treatment
Read the guide →Depression assessment
Sadness fades — depression lingers
Read the guide →Treatment FAQs
Evaluations, treatments, and what to expect
Read the guide →Addiction self-assessment
How to tell when use has become addiction
Read the guide →Signs of drug addiction
What to watch for, and what it means
Read the guide →Detox decision guide
When withdrawal needs medical supervision
Read the guide →When to seek help
Recognizing when it is time to reach out
Read the guide →Mental health assessments
Knowing the process makes it less daunting
Read the guide →Insurance and rehab
What plans typically cover, and what to ask
Read the guide →Drug half-life guide
Half-lives, timeframes, and what they mean
Read the guide →Resources for families
You did not cause it, and you cannot control it
Read the guide →Helping a spouse
In sickness and in health — including this one
Read the guide →Helping without enabling
Support the recovery, not the addiction
Read the guide →Addiction in relationships
Trust, codependency, and the road back
Read the guide →Young adults and college students
The pressure years are the vulnerable years
Read the guide →FMLA and treatment
Job-protected leave for treatment
Read the guide →Inpatient rehab guide
A clear picture of residential treatment
Read the guide →The first week, for families
When your loved one enters treatment
Read the guide →Dealing with relapse
A slip is not the end of recovery
Read the guide →Drugs and the brain
Stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens
Read the guide →The neuroscience of addiction
Why addiction is a brain condition, not a moral failing
Read the guide →Drugs and libido
What substances do to your sex drive
Read the guide →
Go deeper
More guides from our team
Shorter reads on the questions that come up on the way into treatment — from recognizing the problem to knowing what the first week looks like.
- Signs of drug addiction
- Am I an addict?
- Do I need detox?
- Does insurance cover rehab?
- What to expect in inpatient rehab
- Your first week of treatment
- What to expect from a mental health assessment
- What kind of mental health professional do I need?
- When to seek help for mental health
- How drugs affect the brain
- The neuroscience of addiction and recovery
- How to deal with addiction relapse
- How addiction affects relationships
- Addiction in young adults and college students
- Drugs and libido
- The Family and Medical Leave Act
- Resources for families
- Helping a spouse struggling with addiction
- How to help an addict without enabling
Blog, podcast, and immediate help
Keep learning
Blog and podcast
If you need help now
Crisis and national support
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential treatment referrals, 24/7, in English and Spanish.
1-800-662-4357If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Ready to talk with admissions?
Admissions is available 24/7 to answer questions about mental health and substance use treatment options.