Support for polysubstance use.
When more than one substance is involved, care needs to look at the full picture rather than treating each concern in isolation. Starfish considers how different substances, mental health needs, physical health, recovery goals, and life circumstances may interact.
Overview
When more than one substance is involved, whether that is alcohol and a prescription medication, or several drugs used together or at different times, treating each one separately rarely works. The substances, and the reasons behind using them, are usually connected, so care needs to look at the whole pattern rather than one piece at a time.
Care starts with an assessment that maps out everything you are using, how the substances relate to each other, and what else is going on in your life.
Who This May Help
Polysubstance use support is built for situations that involve more than one substance.
- You regularly use more than one substance, together or at different times
- Your pattern of use has changed or become harder to predict or manage
- You have received different or conflicting advice from different providers about which substance to address first
- You are managing substance use alongside a mental health condition
- One substance use has led to or overlapped with another over time
- You want one team looking at the whole picture rather than separate care for each substance
What to Expect
From your first conversation to ongoing care, here is how it usually goes.
-
A comprehensive assessment
Every substance involved, how they relate to each other, and what else may be contributing, with one coordinated recommendation. See Substance Use Assessment.
-
One integrated plan
Rather than separate plans for each substance, your care addresses the pattern as a whole, in an order that makes clinical sense.
-
Medication where it fits
For substances where medication is effective, such as opioid or alcohol use, it is offered as part of the plan. See MAT.
-
Ongoing, coordinated support
Continued counseling and case coordination as your situation evolves. See Recovery-Focused Treatment and Case Management.
Polysubstance Use FAQs
Do you treat each substance separately?
No. Care is built around the whole pattern of use at once, in a coordinated plan, rather than as separate tracks for each substance.
Which substance do you address first?
That depends on clinical risk and your own goals, and is decided together rather than by a fixed rule.
Is medication part of treatment for polysubstance use?
It can be, for the substances where medication is effective, most often opioid or alcohol use. See MAT.
Is this confidential?
Yes, with the same protections as any other behavioral health treatment.
What if my pattern of use keeps changing?
That is common with polysubstance use, and your plan is adjusted as it changes rather than fixed from the start.