Substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life. And they affect the entire community of people who are close to those who experience them, from young people to older adults, family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. This document outlines the roles that various members of a community can play, from assessing and referring people to treatment and providing access to affordable treatment to supporting ongoing recovery. In fact, it is important to understand the distinction between recovery and treatment. Recovery, the process of initiating and maintaining abstinence from alcohol or other drug use, frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. For many, treatment involves multiple interventions and attempts at abstinence, and treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time.
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