In Grief, Mom Shares Heartbreak of Heroin

By LIBBY CUDMORE

ONEONTA

The downward spiral started with a trip to the dentist. "My son Jeremy had his wisdom teeth removed and the dentist prescribed him painkillers," said his mother, Deb France of Oneonta. "Our world was turned upside down."

He first went to jail for theft at 18, and the family's insurance wouldn't cover his treatment. He tried to commit suicide, and he was committed to the psychiatric ward. "They said, ‘He's a heroin addict, cut him loose'," she said. "We sacrificed his college fund to try to get him into treatment."

But even after another stay in rehab, Jeremy relapsed and wound up back in jail. "One month after he got out of jail and one week after his 23rd birthday, my son successfully committed suicide," she said.

The audience gasped.

People struck by the heroin scourge joined doctors, politicians, police, and treatment center managers at SUNY Oneonta's Hunt Union Ballroom Monday, April 28, for the state Task Force on Heroin & Opioid Addiction. "There are real people behind the numbers and statistics," said state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, a task force member. "We need to know what we can do to be helpful to you."

The state Legislature formed the task force to combat the epidemic of heroin problems in Upstate New York, evident in a spike in thefts, overdoses, and arrests. "Our resources are tapped out, our jails are full of addicts," said Otsego County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. "60 percent of our current jail population has an addiction, and we have no resources to deal with withdrawal or the underlying causes of that addiction." Saying this though, there is help out there for people suffering from addiction. For example, visiting a Bend, Oregon rehab treatment center, (or a local clinic) for example, being able to speak to nurses and mental health counselors may be the first step to recovery and leading a better life.

Addiction is one of the hardest things that some people have to go through, and once they've combated the addiction the withdrawal phase is not too far behind, regardless of whether or not you're in jail. Thankfully, you can visit a drug and alcohol addiction rehab center that could help you to combat your addiction. There are some people who try to recover from addiction without help, however, withdrawals could give them sick and need of help. It can be hard to give a person the right treatment when they are withdrawing from opiates such as heroin as they could start to become addicted to that instead. A product called kratom is said to help with symptoms of withdrawal but it is important that you thoroughly research this product first before deciding to go ahead with using it. Ask your doctor if you're not sure; you don't want to damage your health further by taking a product if you are unsure on whether or not it will be effective.

The stories related here were all the same – no one started with a needle in their arm, but rather, with medicines prescribed by a doctor. "Kids see it as medication," said Julie Dostal, LEAF executive director. "We have to teach them that just because it has an Rx doesn't mean it's safe."