Residents in Illinois seeking assistance for drug and alcohol addictions, mental health disorders, and co-occurring conditions have access to myriad resources and programs throughout the state. These include services provided by nonprofit foundations, government programs, private rehab facilities, and harm reduction clinics, among other entities. Services include crisis stabilization, medication assisted treatment (MAT), inpatient and outpatient treatment, and aftercare support. Some groups are set up to serve specialized groups including veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and college students, among other populations.
Drug Statistics in Illinois
Addiction Nonprofits in Illinois
Prevention First
This nonprofit organization focuses on promoting healthy behaviors and preventing substance use disorders (SUD) among Illinois youth. They work with schools, community partners, local and state departments, and families to provide addiction education, training, and public awareness campaigns. Individuals can access their website to find an interactive map of local SUD treatment providers in their area.
Illinois Helpline
This is a free, statewide hotline that individuals can call, text, or message to receive support for a SUD related crisis. Call support specialists are available on a 24/7 basis and can offer a listening ear in addition to connections and referrals to hundreds of community based treatment providers across the state.
Gateway Foundation
This organization provides addiction treatment and mental health services for adolescents and adults in Illinois. They offer graduated levels of care at 16 centers across the state, including MAT for withdrawal management, residential treatment, partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP) and general outpatient (OP) programs, and aftercare support.
Harm Reduction Programs
Chicago Recovery Alliance
This organization offers mobile, van based outreach services at different locations throughout the city. They’re focused on building personal relationships with individuals affected by sexually transmitted infections (STI) and drug use. In addition to individual counseling, overdose prevention training, and syringe disposal services, they also provide different types of harm reduction supplies including sterile syringes and naloxone.
Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition
This coalition aims to remove the stigma around people who use drugs by providing education, advocacy, and support services for this population. They help guide government organizations, nonprofits, health departments, and individuals who want to set up a syringe service program (SSP) and offer links to groups offering these services around the state.
Lake County Health Department: Harm Prevention
Lake County Health Department operates four harm reduction clinics across Illinois. At each location, individuals can access a variety of supplies including free, clean needles, drug testing strips, safer sex materials, naloxone, and wound care kits. They can also receive information on local HIV and Hepatitis C testing and treatment options.
Stop Overdose Illinois
This organization provides educational materials to help individuals understand the risk of drug and alcohol overdose. The team is comprised of medical experts who specialize in the addiction and treatment sector. Their website shares information on the risks of different substances including fentanyl, hydrocodone, and morphine, as well as details on how life-saving medications such as naloxone work and where to purchase them.
Government Grants & Resources
Illinois Healthcare and Family Services: Substance Use Prevention and Recovery
This group coordinates the efforts of statewide programs focused on SUD treatment and support. This includes organizations that offer crisis hotlines, drug overdose prevention programs (DOPP), harm reduction centers, addiction related educational materials, and related resources. Individuals can visit their website to find a comprehensive list of providers in the state, categorized by counties served.
Illinois Department of Public Health
This department operates an Opioid Program aimed at reducing the number of opioid related overdose deaths in the state. They manage and update a comprehensive directory of Illinois organizations offering SSPs, safe drug disposal services, hotline support, naloxone, and related resources.
Live4Lali
This group provides harm reduction supplies via a mobile outreach program set up at different Illinois locations from Monday through Friday. In addition to in person services, they also offer mail in supplies. Available resources include safer drug use supplies, naloxone, printed recovery education materials, personal care items, fentanyl testing strips, and safer sex materials. They also offer peer-based counseling and connections to community based treatment providers.
College Addiction Resources
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Prevention and Response Program
This program provides preventative and treatment centered addiction resources for students. In addition to educational programs, they also offer individual and group counseling services, educational workshops, and connections to community providers.
Illinois College Counseling Program
Students at Illinois College can access on campus counseling services to address mental health and behavioral health conditions, including drug and alcohol addiction. Available services include crisis intervention, individual and couples therapy, workshops and presentations, and consultations with outside treatment providers.
University of Chicago: UChicago Student Wellness
The UChicago Student Wellness Center helps students address mental health concerns, including drug and alcohol addiction. They offer short-term individual and couples therapy to help individuals talk through their concerns and develop healthy coping strategies. They can also make referrals to community-based providers for students who require longer-term care.
Northwestern University: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Northwestern University offers counseling and support services for students struggling with substance abuse or addiction. Through their CAPS program, individuals can participate in one on one and group counseling, educational workshops, and peer-based community outreach projects. Providers can also make referrals to other health services on campus, such as the Women’s Center, and can connect clients to outside care as required.
LGBTQ+ Resources
Equality Illinois
This group focuses on securing civil rights and social justice for members of the LGBTQ+ community in Illinois. They facilitate various programs to support and uphold this group, including the Illinois Equality Council, which provides linkages to local, community-based providers who champion LGBTQ+ rights inside and outside the workplace. Individuals seeking addiction treatment support can visit their website to find a comprehensive list of affirming providers.
Chicago Pride Center
This center provides behavioral health and SUD treatment services for Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. They offer person-centered, affirming care, including programs tailored to each individual’s unique needs. Available treatments include individual and group counseling, grief- and trauma-informed counseling, and clinical consultations. Providers incorporate holistic healing approaches, including mindfulness, with evidence-based modalities such as motivational interviewing.
Metro East Pride
The mission of Metro East Pride is to help members of Illinois’ LGBTQ+ community achieve unity, inclusion, and wellness. They hold various events, activities, and outreach opportunities throughout the year, including the Metro East Pride Fest. They maintain an up-to-date database of affirming, supportive providers and organizations that specialize in crisis intervention, medical care, and mental health counseling.
Veterans Programs
Chez Veterans Center
Offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Applied Health Sciences, this group provides comprehensive counseling services for student veterans and other military connected communities. They offer individualized counseling, career coaching, peer mentoring, life skills training, and connections to health and wellness providers near campus.
Illinois VA Medical Centers
Two VA Medical Centers in the state offer SUD services for veterans, military personnel, and members of their families. This includes the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago and the Marion VA Medical Center in Marion. Both locations offer 24 hour residential treatment, as well as IOP and OP treatment. Other VA sites in the state offering SUD treatment include the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago and the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines.
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs
Military members, veterans, and their families can access the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs to learn more about the public services available to their community. Specialists are available to help veterans navigate the benefits claims process as well as access resources related to housing, financial assistance, education, legal aid, and healthcare. This includes connections to VA mental health services and the Veterans Crisis Line for individuals who need urgent support.
RUSH: The Road Home Program
Located in Chicago, The Road Home Program is dedicated to supporting the mental health of veterans, military members, reservists, and families. They provide an array of treatment options including a two-week intensive outpatient program and ongoing general outpatient treatments. Their outpatient care includes individual, couples, and family therapy, holistic wellness groups, and spiritual services. They also provide family counseling and support.
Indigenous & Tribal Programs
American Indian Health Service of Chicago
This organization helps American Indian residents in Chicago access behavioral and mental health services. They host in-person and virtual support groups, peer-based Talking Circles, recreational therapy, individual and group counseling, and addiction education. Their dedicated Addiction Therapy Program incorporates evidence-based and culturally sensitive treatment modalities tailored to each client’s recovery goals.
American Indian Center (AIC) Chicago
The AIC of Chicago seeks to promote fellowship among the Native people of all tribes. They also want to help Indians and non-Indians in the city live in harmony with one another. Throughout the year, they offer myriad cultural events and educational activities for the community to participate in. They also provide connections to help Indians find resources to strengthen their overall wellness, including access to physical and mental healthcare providers.
Drug Laws in Illinois
Pretrial Fairness Act
Enacted in 2023, this law allows law enforcement personnel to release minor drug offenders with a citation that requires them to appear in court within three weeks rather than arresting them. Before it was put into place, police officers were required to immediately imprison any individual caught with an illegal substance until they could appear before a judge. In Illinois, possession of any drug besides cannabis is considered a felony.
Emergency Medical Services Access Law of 2012
Known as Illinois’ Good Samaritan Law, this legislation encourages individuals to request medical services when they believe an overdose is occurring. If someone calls 911 or visits an emergency room during a suspected overdose, both the overdosing victim and the person requesting help are protected from felony prosecution.
Illinois Drug Overdose Prevention Program Law
This law allows non-medical professionals to administer life-saving medication, such as naloxone, if they believe someone is experiencing a potentially fatal opioid overdose. This includes friends, family members, and anyone in the community who witnesses the event.
Heroin Crisis Act
Also called Lali’s Law, this act seeks to address the heroin crisis in Illinois. It allows individuals to access naloxone and makes MAT services easier to access for individuals with opioid use disorder. It also includes restrictions that strengthen the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program (ILPMP).