Hope Is Real

Substance Use & Suicide Awareness Month: What to Look For, Ways to Help, and Where to Get Support

Every September, communities across the country observe National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. These observances belong together. Substance use and suicide are deeply connected—and so is hope. Treatment works. Recovery is possible.

Asking for help is an act of strength.

At Stronger Mental Health (SMH) Counseling Services in Jasper, Alabama, we walk with individuals and families through trauma, substance use, grief, and crisis every week. This post is written for our neighbors in Walker County and across Alabama: what to notice, how to help, and where to turn—including how SMH Counseling can walk with you.

Why These Two Issues Belong in the Same Conversation

People living with a substance use disorder are at substantially higher risk of suicide than the general population. Alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and other substances can increase impulsivity, deepen depression, disrupt sleep, isolate people from support, and make it harder to see a way forward. At the same time, untreated trauma, PTSD, depression, and hopelessness often drive people toward substances as a way to cope.

That cycle is common—and it is treatable. When we talk about both issues at once, we give families a clearer picture of risk and a clearer path to help.

What to Look For

Warning signs of a substance use problem

•         Using more than intended, or being unable to cut back despite wanting to

•         Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from a substance

•         Neglected work, school, family, or health because of use

•         Mood swings, irritability, secrecy, or a new circle of friends

•         Tolerance (needing more to feel the same effect) or withdrawal symptoms

•         Using to numb pain, sleep, or get through the day

•         Legal, financial, or relationship problems tied to use

Warning signs someone may be considering suicide

A useful memory aid is IS PATH WARM:

•         Ideation — talking about wanting to die, or researching ways to die

•         Substance use — increased or relapsed use

•         Purposelessness — “What’s the point?”

•         Anxiety — agitation, inability to sit still, panic

•         Trapped — feeling there is no way out

•         Hopelessness — the future looks empty

•         Withdrawal — pulling away from people they usually care about

•         Anger — rage, revenge talk, sudden irritability

•         Recklessness — taking dangerous risks

•         Mood changes — especially a sudden calm after deep despair (sometimes a sign a decision has been made)

Take any talk of suicide seriously. Asking “Are you thinking about suicide?” does not plant the idea. It opens a door. Direct questions save lives.

Ways to Help

1. Start the conversation

You do not need perfect words. “I’ve noticed you haven’t seemed like yourself. I’m worried about you. Can we talk?” is enough. Speak privately, without an audience, and without lectures.

2. Listen more than you fix

Resist the urge to argue, minimize (“It’s not that bad”), or jump to solutions. Reflect what you hear: “It sounds like everything feels heavy right now.” Feeling heard often reduces the intensity of a crisis.

3. Ask the hard question

“Are you thinking about suicide?” or “Have you had thoughts of ending your life?” If the answer is yes, ask whether they have a plan and whether they have the means. Stay with them. Do not leave a person in active crisis alone.

4. Reduce immediate danger

Help limit access to firearms, large quantities of medication, and other lethal means while the person is in crisis. This is one of the most effective short-term protections we have.

5. Connect them to help—and stay connected

Offer to sit with them while they call 988, text HOME to 741741, or reach a counselor. Follow up the next day and the next week. Isolation feeds both addiction and suicidal thinking; consistent contact is protective.

6. Take care of yourself, too

Supporting someone in crisis is heavy. You can love someone and still set limits. Family counseling, Al-Anon/Nar-Anon, and your own therapist are not luxuries—they keep you well enough to keep showing up.

How SMH Counseling Helps

Stronger Mental Health Counseling Services is a veteran-owned counseling practice serving Jasper, Walker County, and clients across Alabama by telehealth. Our clinicians work with people of all ages—from young children to older adults—and with the concerns that so often travel together: trauma and PTSD, substance use, grief, family conflict, behavioral concerns, and suicidal ideation.

SMH Counseling Services provides trauma-informed, client-centered care without judgment. We believe you already hold answers; our role is to walk with you, offer proven tools, and help you rebuild a more stable life. That is the heart of “Stronger.”

What we offer:

✓       Trauma-informed care using EMDR, CBT, DBT skills, Motivational Interviewing, Seeking Safety, and a client-centered, non-judgmental approach

✓       Substance use counseling for individuals and families, including dual diagnosis (mental health + substance use together)

✓       Crisis support and safety planning when thoughts of suicide or self-harm are present

✓       Individual, couple, family, and group sessions for children, teens, adults, and seniors

✓       In-person in Jasper (310 AL-195, 2nd floor — enter around the back of the building and come upstairs; and Mind Body Heart Wellness Center, 401 4th Avenue South) plus secure telehealth across Alabama

✓       Insurance accepted (including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicaid, All Kids, UnitedHealthcare/Optum, Aetna, Cigna, TRICARE, and others) with sliding-scale options when needed. Individual sessions typically $100; couples $150.

Our style is open-minded, empowering, and participatory. Sessions are collaborative. Whether you come in for yourself, a partner, a child, or your whole family, the SMH team meets you where you are and works at a pace that feels safe.

Where to Get Help — Right Now

Immediate crisis (24/7)

•         988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988. Chat at 988lifeline.org. For mental health, substance use, and suicide crises. Alabama calls are answered in-state.

•         Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741

•         Veterans Crisis Line — Call 988 then press 1, or text 838255

•         911 — If someone is in immediate physical danger or an overdose is occurring. Ask pharmacies about naloxone (Narcan).

Treatment and recovery referrals

•         SAMHSA National Helpline — 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral in English and Spanish.

•         FindTreatment.gov — Locate substance use and mental health programs near you.

•         Alabama Department of Mental Health Substance Use line — 1-844-307-1760

Local Walker County / Jasper area

•         Stronger Mental Health Counseling Services — (205) 205-265-2226/(205) 757-9872

310 AL-195, 2nd Floor, Jasper, AL 35504. In-person and telehealth.

•         Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center — Community behavioral health and crisis services for Walker County. (205) 302-9000 or (800) 489-3971.

•         The Crisis Center (Central Alabama) — (205) 323-7777

•         211 Alabama — Dial 2-1-1 for housing, food, utilities, and local referrals.

A Closing Word from SMH

If you are reading this because you are worried about yourself or someone you love, please hear this: you are not a burden. You are not too far gone. Recovery is not a straight line, and healing from trauma is not a single appointment—but both are real, and both happen in this community every day.

September is a reminder, not a deadline. Reach out this week. Call 988. Call SMH. Sit with a friend on the porch and tell the truth. Strength includes asking for help.

You are seen. You are valued. You are never alone.

— The team at Stronger Mental Health Counseling Services

Ready to take the next step?

Call or text SMH Counseling: (205) 265-2226/(205) 757-9872

Primary office: 310 AL-195, 2nd Floor (come around the back and upstairs), Jasper, AL 35504

In-person and secure video sessions. Flexible scheduling. Most major insurance accepted. Sliding scale available.

Disclaimer: This article is for education and community awareness. It is not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or emergency care. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or 988 now.