This so called “war on drugs” is a miserable failure. We will NEVER be able to stop an individual from obtaining and using any drug they want. We need more harm reduction programs and more outpatient methadone clinics. I think Suffolk County has ?5? clinics total. And all of them have waiting lists.

I think the 7 day detox programs that some hospitals offer are worthless. Many people who complete the 7day detox go right back to using as soon as they leave.

Methadone maintenance is your best bet. You can stay in it as long as you need to, providing you follow the rules (Suffolk County methadone clinics DO NOT TEST FOR MARIJUANA, which could be a big help for those trying to quit heroin). It gives the patient time to stabilize themselves. And methadone maintenance reduces the need for people to commit crimes to feed their addiction.

Anyone who would like to get themselves into a methadone maintenance program can contact the following county run programs:

Hauppauge Intake and Maintenance Program
200 Wireless Blvd.
Hauppauge
(631) 853-7373
Hours: 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM

East End Methadone Maintenance Program
County Center
Riverhead
(631) 852-2680
Hours: 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Are you suggesting I was putting down the kids in the story?

1. Prohibition – Remember the crime waves that were spawned by prohibition of alcohol in America? Well this is much the same for heroin, marijuana, cocaine, and so many others. Remove prohibition and regulation is placed back in the hands of politicians and knowledgeable doctors (hopefully). Tax money, treatment options, removed stigma, reduced second hand problems including disease and crime, the list goes on.

2. Depression/Pain/Receptors – Please show compassion to your neighborhood homeless and junkie ‘pieces of _________’. You DO NOT know the myriad circumstances which conspired for this result. Do you think this person wants to sleep in a derelict warehouse? Vietnam veterans, those with mental illnesses, pain patients, and even people who have simply been foreclosed upon or fired are often helpless victims. They are still human. HUMAN, your fellow man.

3. Functional Addicts/Junkie lifestyle is forced etc. – Thomas DeQuincey. William Burroughs. If it were not for the negativity associated it would be possible for most addicts to live a healthy and normal life. In the times of snake oil, morphine et. al was given for alcoholics due to its lack of negative bodily and mental effects. It is the sporadic supply often associated with prices and prohibition that can cause heroin and drug users to commit acts of desperation

These are just a few points that may help someone form a new idea of those that they look down upon, those ‘junkies.’ And that term in itself is quite a put down to a fellow man…

DJ

‘Becca’ was in so many extra curriculars, and could sing so well, but none of that mattered after the first shot. i would know, i asked her to marry me, then fell down that road too- it led to… losing myself, her losing herself, and inevetably losing each other. it led me to jail and a year long program, an accident that almost killed me, no car, moving back with my parents and giving up my apartment and jobs… and not being there for ‘becca’ when she got out of detox the day after my accident and arrest. losing everything isnt enough until phsycological rock bottom is reached… and after doing well and getting a few feet off that ground you fell to, it is easiest to think you wont fall again, and go right back. my message is, it all equates to the mentality of a person, people in general; people have to realise sobriety is a lifestyle altogether. drugs and alcohol are not going anywhere any time soon, despite the police task forces, the detox and hospital beds available, or anything else. its the hardest thing to commit to for many including ‘becca’ and myself, but the only way to overcome addiction is by a strong faith of abstinence and a sober lifestyle (as gay as it sounds). good luck everyone, because it isnt easy.

Having never touched hard drugs (heroin, cocaine, et al) or designer drugs (ecstasy, special k, et al), nor ever having had any desire to even “experiment” with those substances, I almost feel as if I have nothing worthwhile to add here…

However, I have lost more than a few friends to substance abuse over the years, and I was raised in an environment of “mind your own business” and “just do the best you can in school etc…”.

What if I’d been raised in a more activist environment instead? I might or might not have made a difference in the lives of those lost friends of mine, but then again, I also might have been able to at least help someone else, a total stranger perhaps, even if just by doing my part to help raise awareness of the drug addiction problems that exist in today’s society.

To all the readers here, I say “raise your hands if you’ve shrugged your shoulders when you read Mike’s article, and thought to yourselves ‘oh well, at least I do a good job of keeping my own nose clean’, and then ask yourselves (if you indeed raised a hand) what it’s going to take for Long Island to rid itself of the heroin problem”.

And then tell me the answer.

I don’t know what the answer is to that question, but I’d sure love to see the problem go away, and I’d sure love to see what others think about all this.

Maybe the answer has something to do with raising awareness. That’s as good a starting place as any. I’m also going to guess that the majority of activist groups are lead by someone who lost a family member to substance abuse. Maybe there ought to be more activist groups lead by people who simply care enough to do it, and their decision has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not they lost a loved one. Maybe that might help trigger a greater awareness of the problems. But still, that seems to me like the treating of a symptom, instead of an assault on the root of the problem.

Your thoughts?

Great article!

I am the author of the piece. First, you must know something: I did not go to NUMC that day for a story. Rather, a family member was injured in a fall at work and I was spending the day in the ER with him. But having met addicts and covered the heroin problem in the past year, it became very apparent to me that there was something going on that afternoon.

I assure you, I would not have believed it if I did not see it myself.

As far as blame, let’s go to the core. The blame is everywhere. IFirst off, people shouldn’t do heroin! Agreed?? But once they make that decision, they are in the clutches of something terrible, horrible and often too big for them to handle. They need help, and it should be there for them.

Now, as far as painting the addicts in a poor light, I am sorry you see it that way. In fact, I have great sympathy for someone in the throes of such a crippling addicting. What struck me the most was the nonchalance of everyone else around the area, and the matter of fact delivery from these kids.

You are dead on when you say we need more treatment. Twenty beds for the Island is an unfunny joke. These people have almost no chance to detox and remain clean. I wanted to get that point across: they are sent into the world with nothing to protect them. I was heartsick for their desperation.

I urge you to contact me at mmartino@longislandpress.com. Sorry you took away a negative conotation from the piece. But I will tell you one thing, and that is I do believe the Press has once again shone the light on a problem that has not weakened at all.

It has only gotten worse.

Whoever wrote the article seemed to take a nasty undertone, or even look down upon the addicts in the waiting room. But what were they supposed to do? They all ended up there for a good thing – they were attempting to go to detox and get clean, we did’t want to wait and start talking to one another and end up getting high togteher – we were forced too. An addict with another addict is in bad company – 10 addicts waiting for detox getting sick together is a freakin disaster. Something needs to be done about this, and not more cops watching for suspicious activity, or DT’s going undercover and arresting the kids who are just trying to not be sick and throwing up while waiting. NUMC needs to fix there program from the top. If they can’t get more than 20 beds they need to shut down and start over. Get a new building with 50 or 100 beds, detox is expensive, we will all pay for it and that will in turn pay for the new building. If they don’t have the resources to help, they are just making matters worse. Its the sick patients that are calling the dealers to the hospital, get rid of the sick patients, as in tend to there needs and no dealers would be needed. Sadly all I see this article doing is getting young misfits and drug addicts a jail a sentence – not help for the program which Is what is truly needed and thats sad. I hope that I’m wrong, but I doubt it. Don’t blame Becca, Sabrina, and Liam – they are the reaction to a cause. Fix the cause and cease the reaction to exist.