Video here (For some reason embed code is not available): https://www.facebook.com/annemossrogers/videos/10210417552692184/
Chris Baker, my guest, has the perspective of someone in recovery who is a house manager of a sober living house which offers a unique perspective of what’s working and what’s not.
Did you know?
- Jobs Program in Richmond, VA: Caritas program for those in recovery for job training. It’s free. There are empty seats. It’s called WORKS. Chris recommends
- Stas Novitsky from McShinn Foundation
- Recovery high School: Stas Novitsky. Fully accredited. 9 students graduated in 2015. Contact McShin if interested
- Vaccine for heroin and fentanyl addiction? (more coming on this soon)
• Heroin Vaccine
• Vacine for the opiod crisis?
• Study on heroin fentanyl vaccine
Let’s talk about Recovery options
- Naltrexone has shown success with a recovery program such as counseling. Seven to 10 days of total abstinence before it can be used.
- Naltrexone daily – Injection and implant are the recommended method of delivery.
- VIVITROL (naltrexone) is an injection and is a 30-day option
- Naltrexone implant is the best for success and it’s a 3-month subdural implant
Suboxone and methadone?
- Chris, as a house manager at a sober house, has not seen much success with either of these and feels this is switching one drug addiction with another. His opinion is that withdrawal is better using other drugs
- What does work? Long term commitment to recovery programs, sober houses, long term treatment, recovery communities
- Narcon to bring back those who have overdosed
- Resources
- Tom Bannard’s guide for families of addicted loved ones
- Needle giveaways puts them in front of people on a regular basis
- Prevention? Avoid opiates for surgery. Lock up your meds
- Safe injection facilities and needle exchanges reduces hepatitis, health care workers interact with addicts who are more open to recovery if they have frequent contact with these healthcare workers
Programs mentioned in Virginia
Not reviewing them here but here are ones that were mentioned that we’ve heard good feedback about. More than 30 days important. Look at this as long term, at least 18 months or more.
- Caritas Healing Place – Men only but women can be referred to Raleigh or other cities. Women’s Healing Place is planned in RVA
- Mcshin Foundation – Peer to peer recovery
- Caron in PA
- Farley in Williamsburg
- Sheriff Leonard in the HARP recovery program in Chesterfield Jail. They have a tagline. “I am somebody.” The inmate has to commit.
Narcon opitate blocker has been very effective for overdose
It has brought many of the addicted back to life after overdose. Chris and I wonder why the Virginia Board of Pharmacy will no longer allow it to be handed out in training classes? Activist told not to distribute Narcon. No reasons given as to why the practice was stopped.
Answers from the audience were:
- Tony Blackmon (daughter Chaney overdosed as a method of suicide): The reason for it is, that people are actually binging on opiates to the point of overdose with a “designated driver” and having their driver administer the dose to save them
- Jenny Derr (Son Billy died from substance use disorder): A pharmacist or dr may still dispense it. And CVS in Va offers it without a prescription for about $100. I would also talk to your doctor
- Mary-Ellen Viglis (Her husband is a first responder): Also all Paramedic – Firefighters carry it my husband said and can dispense it without a doctors order- he has used it on many OD calls he said. He also said it’s a new protocol from the Dept of Health to allow any EMT, does not have to be a paramedic- dispense it when needed- so Rescue Squads and volunteer services
- Melissa Earley (psych nurse with experience working with adolescents): The biggest concern with the OTC naloxone is that the nasal spray won’t do anything for these folks and the dose in the auto injection is not enough.I support home and clinic available naloxone in the auto injection form and I believe it should be dispensed in a six pack in much the same way epi pens are for those with severe allergies. I do have concerns with the possibility of a false sense of security given that the stuff hitting the street is so powerful and without education I worry that unintentional overdose may occur when someone is trying to attain a more intense high thinking their friend has their back “just in case”. I’m not just speculating about this, I am using information learned from talking to a number of folks dealing with heroin addiction both in recovery and actively using.This may not be a popular comment and I feel compelled to say that I believe that complete education is a missing part of the process. The naloxone is a good example. As a nurse, patient education is a priority and I believe that putting a medication in someone’s hands can only be done after they understand what it can and can’t do. Debbie Rosenbaum mentioned harm reduction. When someone is ready for treatment and they have to wait we need to help them make it to the front doors. If trying to detox on their own is going to close that window of willingness I have to believe that reinforcing the importance of getting to treatment by doing “whatever it takes” in a nonjudgmental way is better than losing them to their addiction.
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The Bridge program at the Chesterfield County Jail doesn’t get as much publicity as HARP does, but it is also a great resource. They use evidence based interventions such as a criminal and addictive thinking group, relapse prevention group, and anger management.