Here’s two bits of practical advice as Pennsylvania struggles on with its epidemic of opioid addiction.

First: Listen to the people who have firsthand experience. They can tell you what doesn’t work and why it hasn’t worked. We’re all still figuring out what does work.

Second: Suspend what you think you know about individual rights and fairness when dealing with addicts.

Support appears to be growing in Harrisburg for the idea of forcing some drug abusers into treatment. Those in favor of forced treatment argue that addiction robs individuals of their ability to decide what’s best for them.

That’s the heart of the problem in Pennsylvania, they say. While state law allows for involuntary commitment of those diagnosed with a mental illness, current statutes don’t consider substance abuse disorder as a mental disorder.

That means, for example, if EMTs apply the antidote naloxone to revive an overdosed addict, and the addict refuses additional treatment, no spouse, parent, sibling, son or daughter or other relative can overrule that decision and order rehabilitation or other treatment.

Because Pennsylvania does not consider addiction a mental health disorder.

But that could change soon. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, last week introduced Senate Bill 391, which would amend the Mental Health Procedures Act to enable families to seek involuntary commitments of loved ones for treatment for drug abuse — and for alcohol abuse too.

Under the proposed law, families could petition their county administrator to determine whether an individual suffers from addiction and is a threat to themselves or others. A mental health review officer would conduct a hearing and a doctor would examine the individual.

Costa’s proposal closely resembles “Casey’s Law,” which has been in place since 2004 in Kentucky. That’s 13 years of trial and error that obviously could benefit Pennsylvania and other states that are willing to follow Kentucky’s lead.

Similar legislation is expected to emerge in the House, where Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga, the Health Committee chairman, is said to be building strong bipartisan support for an involuntary commitment bill.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania opposes involuntary commitment for drug treatment. ACLU spokesman Andy Hoover said, “We have concerns about this approach undermining people’s fundamental rights to liberty.”

We have concerns, too. There were 3,383 overdose deaths statewide in 2015, even more than that in 2016. countless thousands more live from fix to jagged fix, unable and unwilling to shake off their opioid addiction.

What about their fundamental rights to liberty? Can they ever regain liberty from addiction without a loved one’s intercession?