BURLINGTON, VT — Howard Center sends good wishes to all for the seasonal celebrations and offers resources to help you and your friends and loved ones celebrate sober this year.
Tips for Celebrating Sober:
- Plan Ahead: Identify potentially stressful situations ahead of time. Recognize that even some happy situations may cause someone to overindulge.
- Plan activities that don’t involve alcohol or drugs: Choose to spend time with family and friends who want to celebrate substance-free.
- Take care of yourself: Be sure to get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise.
- Plan an exit strategy: Understand your transportation options if you are away from your home and know where you’re staying so you can exit gracefully.
- Find a supportive crew: It’s important to have people who know your story, and to know that you can talk to them if things get tough.
Howard Center offers many programs to help individuals with their recovery and maintain sobriety.
Bridge Program provides short-term stabilization and detoxification in a non-medical setting for individuals 18 and older who are experiencing problematic alcohol or other drug use. For screening, please call 802-488-6425 between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m, daily.
Chittenden Clinic: offers comprehensive outpatient treatment for opioid use disorder, including medications (e.g., methadone and buprenorphine), counseling services, and care coordination. Walk-in appointments M-F for intake start at 7:30 a.m., or call to schedule. Tel: 802-488-6450.
Northern Vermont Outpatient and Spoke Services provides outpatient substance use and mental health counseling, and medication for opioid and alcohol use disorder to residents of Grand Isle and Franklin County. Walk-in hours M-F: 8:15 – 8:45 a.m. Tel: 802-524-7265
Pine Street Counseling offers individual and group therapy, education, impaired driver rehabilitation, care coordination, psychiatric consultation, and office-based spoke services including medication for opioid and alcohol use disorder. This program promotes wellness and recovery in all areas and through all phases of a person’s life. Clinicians help clients focus on their strengths and encourage self-care, connections to others and the community, and independence. Walk-in hours M-F: 8:15 – 8:45 a.m. Tel: 802-488-6100.
Safe Recovery is a safe place for people to come to for support, even if they are currently using. Safe Recovery provides harm reduction services including syringe exchange, low-barrier buprenorphine treatment, fentanyl and xylazine test strips, Narcan kits, and HIV and hepatitis testing. Walk-in hours M-F: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 – 5 p.m. Tel: 802-488-6067.
Upcoming agency holidays on December 22, December 25, and January 1 may impact some programs.
If you or a loved one need support, our Access and Intake main number 802-488-6000 is available Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. except on December 22, December 25, and January 1. Our First Call for Chittenden County crisis hotline 802-488-7777 is available 24/7/365. Help is here.
For more information, please contact pdetzer@howardcenter.org or visit howardcenter.org.