By Brendan O’Shaughnessy
Heroin has been on the rise in the past few years in the city of Frederick. There have been four arrests for heroin in the past six months, with two of them occurring within the last month. So what is being done about this growing problem?
Vivitrol: A New Soldier in the War on Addiction
Randy Martin, the Assistant Director of Inmate Services at the Frederick County Detention Center, says that inmates who are admitted for heroin or opiate use have the option of getting a shot of the opiate blocker Vivitrol while they go through treatment. The detention center received the grant for Vivitrol from the Governor Office of Crime Control and Prevention for the injection last year. “I think it’s worked out great […] we’ve had a lot of inmates who have gotten the shot and gotten out,” Martin said.
Though Vivitrol has been highly regarded by many professionals, it is by no means a cure-all. Martin also described the difficultly that many are not aware of. “I would like to say that we’ve had 100% success stories, but we haven’t […] when you get the shot, you also have to be willing to go to treatment as well once you’re released.”
Though the detention center has a host of information about the drug, Martin says he doesn’t see as many inmates pursuing the injection. “I just wish that more people would take advantage of it,” he continued, “You can’t force people to change if they don’t want to. You just can’t […] if people don’t want to change, it’s not going to help.”
On the surface, there seem to be plenty of places to turn to in Frederick, with nearby Frederick Memorial Hospital, as well as a host of drug rehabilitation centers. The Frederick Institute is another organization dedicated to stopping heroin and opiate addiction.
Pam Collins, the clinical supervisor at The Frederick Institute, likens the use of opiate blockers like Vivitrol to other medication. “It’s just like if you were diagnosed with diabetes, and you have to go on medication, that’s only part of it. You’re still going to watch yourself die very slowly if you don’t make some lifestyle changes, and the lifestyle changes are not easy to make.”
Collins says that long term use, pre-morbid history, and other factors are considerable in the equation for patients’ ability to lead an abstinence-based lifestyle. “It doesn’t discriminate,” she says, “but if you’re a fourth generation heroin addict, the chances of you having a balanced lifestyle is slim.”
She continued that the center’s goals are to help addicts reenter society, stay out of trouble, and keep off all elicit substances. She adds that long term medication use is not to be scoffed at. “If someone was on an anti-depressant, we’re not going to take it away from them. We want them to manage their lives and be stable and feel good.”
With Demand Comes Difficulty
While there are a number of treatment centers, the increased demand for treatment has caused some issues. Katie Frazee, the Clinical Supervisor at Gale Recovery, a company that provides halfway houses for addicts to live in, said that the city’s growing problem has caused their waiting list to grow. “We constantly have a waiting list. A very long waiting list. We are constantly having to refer out. Primarily here, we don’t have enough beds.”
She indicated that the issue stems from not only Frederick’s growth, but the lack of a service similar to Gale. “We’re one of the only halfway houses in Frederick, so we receive a lot of referrals.”
The troubling numbers didn’t stop there. Frazee continued: “A decade or so ago, we were seeing people who were a little older, but now we’re seeing it hit the younger population. We have about 23 patients. About 6 of them are 20 or 21.”
This statistic may come as a surprise to some, but Deb Conroy, CEO and President of Serenity Treatment, says the story is all too common. She describes the peril young addicts face as a case of medical mishandling, saying the addictions are the result of when “doctors prescribe painkillers,” then take the prescription away completely, leaving the patient in withdrawal. “They don’t want to take responsibility,” she said.
Conroy says her institution aims to aid anyone who walks through their doors. She says she feels the effect of the increase in demand since Serenity’s inception in 2010. “We try to make it work for space issues always because if someone reaches out and needs help for addiction, we certainly don’t want to turn them away.”
The evolution of a city can bring awareness to certain issues, and she believes “it’s just a matter of education.” She continued, “I don’t think the community is aware of their options for the private facilities. I don’t think the community as a whole does a good job in letting people know their options out there. There’s a need that we all can serve.”
The rise of heroin in Frederick cannot be taken lightly. More and more young people are becoming heroin addicts for a host of reasons, and combating the addiction is nearly impossible if the addict is not willing to change.For the addicts who do want to better themselves, Frederick is not without options.