The easiest and simplest answer to the question posed in the title of this article is “Yes, and it’s far worse than what’s being reported.” Long Island’s population is over 8 million people. There are more people on Long Island alone than in 38 states in our country. It represents over 40% of New York State’s population. With this many people in a relatively small area, the heroin epidemic has decimated virtually every town in Long Island.
Years ago we used to think of heroin addiction as an inner city problem only. In the past few decades we have concentrated on the problems of cocaine and the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s. Then in the 2000’s people started using pills or opioids for pain. These pills are just as or stronger than their counterpart of heroin. In fairness, many doctors were prescribing these pain medications without knowing how addicting or how detrimental they can become. Before they had government regulated databases on doctors and patients and what and how much they were prescribed, this pill epidemic exploded. Children were becoming addicted. Parents and even seniors were now dependent on drugs like Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodine, and Dilaudid. These drugs hit the streets and were being sold in the tens of thousands to anyone who wanted them. There were even some doctors that caught on and realized that they could become legal drug dealers.
Thankfully the government, at both federal and state levels stepped in and put some controls on both the person being prescribed and the prescribers themselves. In California one doctor was even charged and convicted on a murder charge. She wrote more prescriptions for pain medications than any other doctor in the United States. Even after being told that some of her patients overdosed, she continued to write scripts. Then people died and the state prosecuted her. Stories like this have slowed down the “pill epidemic”, but when you have so many people addicted to synthetic opiates with no way of getting more, heroin becomes a cheaper, more viable option. There are more heroin overdose deaths than there are deaths from car accidents in our country. Two weeks ago in Long Island there were 22 overdoses in Suffolk County in just 48 hours. Every town in Long Island is affected. From Montauk in the east to Valley Stream out west, this beautiful place to raise a family is under siege from a drug epidemic. It affects the young and old. It doesn’t discriminate against race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other social category. It kills. And it can kill with just one use.
There is a solution for people that are suffering under the weight of addiction. The solution is the proper treatment for addiction. There are medical and psychological processes that must be put in place for the addict to get well with no return to use. We see the news these days with how many people have succumbed to heroin use on Long Island. We rarely see the stories of people who have found another way and climbed out of the pit of active addiction. There are people who went and got help and are now productive, helpful members of our towns. The help is there and we would like to be part of that journey.
Huntington Creek Recovery Center has been a trusted provider of exclusive, experiential-therapy based addiction treatment for over 40 years. Our holistic, transformative rehab program not only empowers, but also engages the mind, body, and spirit.
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction please contact us now! We are standing by 24/7 to assist in getting help. (877) 803-3394
