Health & Emergency Disclaimer

HEAL (Help Each Other Achieve Life) is a free, peer-led recovery community. Nothing on HEAL — in meetings, the workbook, the help board, articles, resources, emails, notifications or the vetted directory — is medical, psychiatric, psychological or clinical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and none of it replaces care from a qualified professional.

HEAL is not a treatment provider, clinic, therapist, counselor, sponsor, crisis line or emergency service. We are not a HIPAA covered entity and not a 42 CFR Part 2 program. If you have questions about your health, your substance use or your treatment, please talk to a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or licensed counselor.

Using HEAL does not create a doctor–patient, therapist–client, counselor–client or any other professional relationship between you and HEAL, its staff, its volunteers or other members. If a member happens to be a health professional, anything they share on HEAL is shared as a peer, not as your clinician.

Meetings are run by trained volunteer hosts. Their training is in keeping meetings safe, welcoming and on track — not in medicine or therapy. Hosts and moderators can mute or remove participants, share crisis resources and pass concerns to HEAL staff, but they cannot assess, diagnose, treat or supervise anyone.

Volunteers also do not act as sponsors on HEAL’s behalf. If you want a sponsor, recovery coach or mentor, that is a personal arrangement between you and that person.

HEAL is not staffed or monitored around the clock. That means:

• help requests, offers, reports and emails to HEAL may not be seen for hours or days;
• a meeting may end, be cancelled or lose its connection at any time;
• check-ins and workbook entries are private — no one at HEAL reads them or watches for warning signs in them;
• if a help request contains words that suggest someone may be at risk, our systems may hold it for human review and show crisis resources, but that is a safety net, not monitoring, and it can miss things.

Please don’t rely on HEAL to notice if you or someone else is in trouble. Contact the crisis lines above, or someone you trust, directly.

The guided workbook offers reflective exercises and daily check-ins to help you think about your recovery. They are educational and self-help tools. They are not therapy, are not reviewed by a clinician, and are not a substitute for treatment. If an exercise brings up something difficult, it’s fine to stop, come back later, or talk it through with a professional or someone you trust.

HEAL shares harm-reduction information only at a general level. Naloxone (often known by the brand name Narcan) is a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose. In the United States it is available over the counter, and many pharmacies, health departments and community programs provide it free or at low cost. Training is usually short and widely available.

If you think someone is overdosing: call 911, give naloxone if you have it, and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Naloxone wears off, so the person still needs emergency care even if they wake up.

Most US states have Good Samaritan laws that give some legal protection to people who call for help during an overdose. Protections differ from state to state and don’t cover everything, so this is general information, not legal advice. Please don’t let fear of the law stop you from calling.

To find treatment, naloxone or other support near you, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7) or visit FindTreatment.gov. Your local health department can also help.

Never stop, start or change any medication without talking to your prescriber. That includes medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) such as buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone, and medications for alcohol use disorder or mental health. Stopping some medications suddenly can be dangerous, and losing tolerance raises the risk of overdose.

HEAL respects all pathways to recovery, including medication-assisted recovery. Members who take prescribed medication are in recovery and are welcome in every part of HEAL. Our Community Guidelines prohibit shaming anyone for their pathway and prohibit giving medication, detox or tapering directions.

Members share what has worked — and not worked — for them. That experience can be valuable, but it is not advice for your situation, and HEAL does not check it for accuracy. Content posted by members reflects their own views, not HEAL’s. Treat suggestions about health, medication, legal or money matters with care and check them with a qualified professional.

The help board connects members who want to help each other with practical things like rides or job leads. HEAL doesn’t screen, supervise or guarantee members or the help they offer, and the help board must never be used for medical help or emergencies. See the Help Board Terms for safety guidance.

The vetted directory lists programs that met HEAL’s published standard at their last review. A listing is not a referral, recommendation, endorsement or guarantee of quality or outcomes, and HEAL is not responsible for care a provider gives. Decide on treatment with your own clinicians and confirm details with the provider directly. See the Provider Listing Terms.

Articles, guides and links on HEAL are general information, current as far as we know when written. Health knowledge and laws change, and general information can’t account for your circumstances. Links to outside services are for convenience; HEAL doesn’t control those services and isn’t responsible for them.

If you’re worried about something you saw on HEAL, use the report button or email safety@teleheal.com. We read safety reports as soon as we can, but this is not an emergency channel. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.

This section supplements the limitation of liability in our Terms of Use.