EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – This week is National Addiction Treatment Week; a time to raise awareness about substance use disorders and resources for those looking for help. Addiction treatment physical, Dr. Glenn Kauppila says, “Addiction is a chronic medical condition akin to diabetes and hypertension and that we have effective treatments for them.”

In the Chippewa Valley, there are a variety of treatment options. Recovery coach, Christian Johnson, says, “You can go to a counselor at places like Arbor Place or L.E. Philips. There are 12-step programs, NA, AA. These are meetings where peer-run and people that are also addicts and are in recovery run these meetings.”

Dr. Kaupilla says, “There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to the treatment of addiction.” In recent years, treatment needs have only increased. Dr. Kaupilla continues, “There’s been a persistent need for addiction treatment for many years, but the COVID pandemic made that worse. So, there was an increased need during that time, one because there was an increase in addiction, and two, there were less resources available.”

L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center counselor, Adam Gilson, says, “The biggest jump that we saw in numbers was from 2019 to 2020. I think that people started to isolate more and isolation and is truly one of the biggest reasons that addiction really, you know, grows in people who are already struggling.”

Staff looking to support individuals ready for help say they want to be a resource. Johnson explains, “There’s the addiction rates, especially in Chippewa and Eau Clare County, are very high, so there although there are quite a few very good resources, there just aren’t enough of them. And that’s kind of what that’s what we’re here for, is to plug, you know, to plug that gap in and to help fill a hole that might be missing.”

Hoping to support those experiencing substance use disorders and others affected by them.

Staff with Mayo Clinic Health System say only around 10% of people who need treatment for alcohol or substance disorders actually get the treatment they need.