a minister in Serbia who has worked with about 1000
drug addicts over the past fifteen years. “Right now, I
am working with about seventy-five drug addicts. The
two-year mark after getting clean is the most challenging
period of time for most. Getting clean is easy in
comparison to establishing new work habits and new social
connections. Depression can be as difficult to overcome as
the drug addiction.
“An addict’s problem is mostly with his mindset,”
continued Radovan. “The rules of life feel drastically
different when you’ve been an addict and get clean. It’s
not the hard work, but the perception. It’s easier to sedate
yourself and live in what feels like a secure world than face
an insecure future clean. On top of that, there may be a
wife and/or child(ren). The former drug addict has to learn
to deal with those stresses without drugs. It takes new
vision and continual connection with a support system to
firmly establish a new life. And that’s where a strong and
continued support group becomes so vital.”
The comparison, addiction happens quickly. In fact,
“The odds you'll still be on opioids a year after starting
a short course increase after only five days on opioids”
(Mayoclinic.org). “We were really blind to just how many
young people suffer from addiction in our town. Opioids
are a big thing around here with young boys,” said Chastity.
“Pills lead to meth and then to heroin. And in this town,
heroin is prominent.” (Note: According to drugabuse.gov,
“About 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused
prescription opioids.”)
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
“2018 data shows that every day, 128 people in the United
States die after overdosing on opioids. The misuse of and
addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers,
heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a
serious national crisis that affects public health as well as
social and economic welfare” (drugabuse.gov).
“We didn’t know anything about rehab programs
until we went through this,” said Chastity. “Every place
we looked into for Alston was really strict, which was
important. Some places allowed family to visit; others did
not.” But the most important aspects of them all were
structure and accountability. “We had seen firsthand how
rehab or sober living homes can change the life of someone
who is ready to make that commitment.”
84 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
/(Mayoclinic.org
/drugabuse.gov
/(drugabuse.gov