Nationwide Heroin Epidemic Hitting Hard In Worcester; County Launches Overdose Fatality Review Team Charlene Sharpe, Staff Writer BERLIN – In January of this year, Heidi McNeeley’s son was arrested. Ten months later, she considers that a miracle. “That was his wake up call,” she said. McNeeley, who lives in Bishopville, said her 25-year-old son called her to tell he’d been arrested — for heroin possession. He went on to tell her that he was addicted to the drug and needed help. She was shocked. She thought heroin was something you heard about in the inner city. McNeeley soon found out heroin use is now considered an epidemic in Worcester County — and the state at large. Between 2011 and 2013, there has been an 88 percent increase in heroin related deaths in Maryland, according to the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Larry Hogan, the republican candidate in Maryland’s governor’s race, has even pledged to declare a state of emergency regarding heroin if he’s elected. Here in Worcester County, the most recent data (collected between 2007 and 2011) shows 65 percent of intoxication deaths were related to opiates, which can include heroin and prescription pills. “Opiate use has been a growing epidemic in Worcester County for the last several years,” said Tracy Tilghman, director of behavioral health for Worcester County. “There’s been an increase in heroin use but also in people being addicted to their painkillers.” According to health officials, many heroin addictions start with a dependence on prescription opiates. While some people experiment with prescription medicine in search of a high, others get hooked on painkillers after being prescribed them legally following an injury or surgery. “They start with prescription pills and it transitions to heroin,” said Tracy Simpson, coordinator of the Worcester County Circuit Court’s drug court program. “It’s cheaper and more accessible.” McNeeley says that’s how her son was drawn to the drug. What started as experimentation with marijuana as a teenager led to prescription pills, which led to heroin. “Pills are expensive,” she said. “Heroin’s cheap.” Just how cheap? Seven to $10 a hit, according to local criminal defense attorney Marc Zeve. It gets expensive though when users are taking a dozen hits a day. And that point comes sooner than you would think. “It’s not a drug you can use once and put away,” he said. “It’s so physically addictive. That’s the heart of it.” When McNeeley’s son started snorting heroin, he did it for the high. By the time he approached her, though, there was no enjoyment in it. “’It’s not fun. I have to do it so I don’t throw up and have diarrhea all day,’” she recalls him telling her. But staying on the drug takes a toll, too. “Physically they get really thin,” Zeve said. “It’s so hard to watch … They’re very secretive. It’s easy to conceal. Not everybody injects it.” McNeeley didn’t even know the drug was a problem in Worcester County, let alone that her only son was dependent on it. “We as parents have no clue,” she said. A Desperate Search For Help When McNeeley did find out her child had a drug problem, she realized she didn’t know what to do. In spite of a background in nursing and a job in the healthcare industry, she had no idea where to start. All she knew was she wanted to get him help. Immediately. “I got on the Internet and started looking up rehabs,” she said. Online searches quickly revealed the limited number of options available on the shore. “I couldn’t get a rehab bed on the Eastern Shore — not just Worcester County — for three weeks,” she said. She eventually found a facility on the other side of the state that could take her son in five days. “My concern was in five days he’ll change his mind,” she said. With that fear in mind, she kept searching and eventually located a Christian rehab facility in Baltimore that she could take him to immediately. That wasn’t the end of the struggle though. He needed to bring his medical history, a recent physical and blood work results with him. His regular doctor said it would be 10 days before he could get an appointment. “It was like every door was shut,” McNeeley recalled. “It was scary and overwhelming.” A newly opened immediate-care clinic was able to perform the work, however, and McNeeley was able to get her son to the rehab clinic. Ten months later, he’s living in a sober home, working and participating in a 12-step program. “He’s getting his life together,” she said. Not everyone struggling with heroin addiction does, however. Willards resident Randy McClain has watched a close friend spend most of the last year addicted to heroin. She was in a serious car accident and was prescribed Percocet for back pain as she recovered. When the prescription ran out, her pain didn’t stop. “She couldn’t handle it,” McClain said, “so she turned to heroin. When she’s not on it she can’t get out of bed.” Tilghman says she has learned through her work with the health department that’s not uncommon. “If a person is addicted to a pain medication and they’re cut off, they start using heroin, which is more accessible. That’s very surprising for the general public,” Tilghman said. McClain said in recent years he has seen several people become dependent on the drug. Most stay that way. “I’d say 99 out of 100 (that quit) fall back,” he said. “The temptation is too much.” More: click below
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:38:54 +0000
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