During our Cross Country Checkup discussion on the opioid crisis, we heard from medical professionals, opioid users and former addicts. But when it comes to the loved ones of those addicted to opioids, where is the help for them?

Penny Lepage, who called from Dawson Creek, B.C., says her husband got treatment years ago for his addiction. But while she was out trying to get him help, Lepage realized that she too, needed her own support system to get her through the crisis. She told Checkup host Duncan McCue that while she was able to get help, other families may not be as lucky.

Listen to their full conversation below:

Duncan McCue: Penny Lepage is calling from Dawson Creek, B.C. Hi Penny, what do you think about the conversation you've been hearing about opiates?

Penny Lepage: I think one of the biggest things that people don't realize with addiction is there's another side to it in regards to the spouse of the addict and the family members of the addict. When this is happening to your family, the biggest misconception is [thinking] people don't know where to go, [when actually] they don't want people to know that their spouse or their child is involved in addiction because they're scared about what will happen to them if they get involved.

DM: This happened with your spouse. Is that right, Penny?

PL: It happened with my spouse on more than one occasion. And what happens is, people think it's up to you on some level to help [your husband] get help. The biggest problem is where do you go? There are treatment centres. But, living in a rural area far away, you're trying to get help for yourself. But what is that?

DM: So what did you end up doing?

PL: What ends up happening is that my husband ended up going to treatment on more than one occasion. The problem is it was just one form of treatment that was just band-aiding the problem. It wasn't fixing it.

You're still involved in the addiction aspect because your spouse says he's OK. But, I needed to educate myself in what addiction was and how to support my family. A lot of spouses and parents of addicts go to the doctor and say, "I need anxiety medication and I just can't help my spouse."

DM: And so, what you're really talking about is the need for support for the whole family?

PL: Oh, exactly. The other thing that happened within my own family was that certain family members didn't want to go to treatment centres because they didn't want their vehicle parked in front [so others would] know that this was happening to their family. They didn't want to help that family member because they didn't want to get targeted. They didn't know if the drug dealer was coming after them.

If I hadn't gotten educated on finding out how to get the help and if I didn't have someone step up to the plate and fork out over $20,000, my husband would either be dead or we'd be divorced. That's really sad because we have a huge family support system. But if you don't have the dollars, where do you go? You're going to have to go to these bigger centres like Vancouver Island. Even in the rural areas, it's hard because no one wants to go to the family doctor because they're scared of people finding out.

DM: If there are other spouses who are married to an addict or have a partner who's an addict, what advice would you give them?

PL: I think the biggest thing is you have to look after yourself. I think there's a stigma that if you help yourself over your kids or your spouse, you're being selfish. I think what has to happen is you have to do your homework. You have to keep getting educated about what addiction is. There's so much misinformation out there.

The Internet has changed so much since a lot of this has happened to me. But, you have to reach out to people who understand addiction and have some support. If I didn't get help and education about what was happening to my family, then I would have gone downhill and I wouldn't have been able to help my family and raise my children. There are a lot of people that don't have that option.