EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles provided by Greater Nashua Mental Health in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, May 1-31.

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We’ve all heard a lot about the challenges around substance use that we, as a community and as a society, face. I do not want to belabor the point, so I’ll do my best to be brief on that. But most importantly, here we are having a human connection – me writing, and you reading. So, I propose that we not just connect about the problem, but also about solutions and hope.

Unfortunately, we do have to start by understanding the scope of the problem. The NH Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 417 deaths resulting from substance use in 2020. 415 the year before that, 471 before that, and a peak of 490 in 2017. That’s 1,793 New Hampshire lives lost to substances in just 4 years. It seems like everyone these days has either personal experience with substance use, or knows someone who does. The problem is daunting. But, I promised hope. Keep reading.

Next, let’s think about how we got here. Throughout history, we have built villages, hunted for food, and raised families in our communities. We are connection-seeking animals and our very survival throughout the ages has depended on it. Our brains have even evolved to seek those connections too, because they make us feel safe. Safe and unsafe are two sides of our most basic emotional coin: safe – good; unsafe – bad. Safe makes us feel comfortable, all warm and fuzzy. Unsafe makes us panic, and puts us on pins and needles. We seek connections with other humans who are accessible, consistent, and comforting so we can feel safe. In the absence of that, we will connect with something that at least blocks the feeling of unsafety. For some, substances are a reliable connection. Any why not? They’re pretty easily accessible; they’re fairly consistent; and they can give comfort from unsafety, even if that comfort is fleeting.

For some people, other humans have not been accessible, consistent, or comforting. Research shows that trauma, especially childhood trauma, causes brains to develop differently. The fight/flight/or freeze response develops a hair-trigger. Situations later in life that may seem safe to others, could be terrifying to someone living with trauma. Living a life feeling so unsafe and not being able to connect with other humans in order to feel safe is the worst of all circumstances because it threatens our lives. Why would someone with that experience not want to connect with something that is accessible, consistent, and comforting? The research bears this out. People who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), or specific types of traumatic events prior to age 18, are significantly more likely to misuse substances than those without those experiences. They have overall poorer health outcomes too, including physical injuries and a host of diseases, as well as mental illnesses, and socio-economic problems. All because those connections that humans have an innate need to develop, don’t. Because trauma got in the way.

So, here’s the hope I promised, and I know it sounds really cliché, but stick with me: recovery is possible. As I write this, I am reflecting on the many individuals I’ve had the privilege of working with and their successes in their recoveries. And you don’t even have to just believe that; research bears this out too. Evidence-based treatments that cover a broad spectrum of skills, needs, and resources have been shown to have incredible results. Treatment frequently involves fostering safe connections with other humans as well, whether that be with family, friends, or community resources. How could it not? If the root cause of the problem is a lack of human connection that is accessible, consistent, and comforting, then the treatment must include human connections that are accessible, consistent, and comforting!

Those of us working in community mental health care are in the business of facilitating and making connections that are (say it with me now) accessible, consistent and comforting. So much of our work is focused just on establishing and learning to trust those connections, both in our offices and out in the world. But here’s where we all get to participate in the recovery process and making our state a safer place: those seeking recovery need you. When someone reaches out, as long as it is safe and you are able, please reach back. Reaching out to other humans when experience says that other humans are unsafe is an act of incredible courage. Don’t let them down. Have some human connections. You will feel better connected too. And if you need accessible, consistent, and comforting human connections, know that excellent mental health care and substance use treatments are effective and available. You can reach out too. Allow others the privilege of reaching back.

Thanks for having this human connection with me.