Thank you so much for writing in.
Reaching out for help is something that takes strength and bravery; I’m proud of you for doing that. You are not the only one in this situation. Struggling with addiction is scary, and it’s made even scarier when the people around you don’t understand what it’s like. I want you to know that you’re not alone. There are many ways to recover from addiction. In fact, the overwhelming majority of people who experience addiction eventually recover.
Getting funding for rehab out of state is tricky. Going out of state frequently means you’ll have to pay more of the costs out of pocket. Your tribe may have federal funding they can use to help you. If they do, it’s likely that your tribe will ask you to exhausted other options for funding before they can use their dollars. If you have health insurance (including Medicaid or access to Indian Health Service), find out how they can help you first. If they can’t help you pay for rehab, then call your tribal office. Ask if they have treatment dollars to pay for out of pocket costs for rehab. Ask if they have Tribal Opioid Response dollars, and ask if it’s in their budget to help you pay for treatment costs with that money.
You can also contact your IHS area office behavioral health consultant. You can find a map of every IHS location here: https://www.ihs.gov/locations/. Call your area office and ask to speak to their behavioral health consultant. This person helps link people with services when they can’t find them any other way. Describe your situation to them and ask if they have recommendations or connections to help you.
This journey is hard, but I hope this helps you with your next steps.
Take care and stay safe,
Uncle Paige
