Speakers address problems with heroin use

WATKINS GLEN--Some 40 people attended a community forum titled "Emerging Drug Concerns Part II: Heroin and Prescription Drugs," Monday, Feb. 1, at the Watkins Glen elementary auditorium. The meeting was sponsored by the Schuyler County Coalition on Underage Drinking and Drugs (SCCUDD) and featured a group of speakers ranging from law enforcement officials to recovering addicts. Many of the speakers noted the recent increase in heroin use in Schuyler County, noting the warning signs of heroin abuse and what friends and family can do to convince someone they need help.
Watkins Glen Clinic Manager for Finger Lakes Addictions Counseling and Referral Agency (FLACRA) Danielle Tilden spoke about the recent uptick in heroin overdoses in the area, noting a lot of that is due to the heroin being mixed with fentanyl, which makes the drug more potent. She noted many of the first warning signs for drug use include a sudden change in a person's normal behavior. Tilden said bloodshot eyes, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, unusual smells on the body or breath and sudden financial problems are some of the telltale signs someone is abusing drugs. Frequent nosebleeds are another symptom that come as a result of snorting drugs, which she said is how many people begin using heroin before they start using it with a needle.
Both Tilden and Senior Investigator with the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Timothy J. Dewey noted how many people who are currently abusing heroin were initially addicted to opioid prescription pills. Tilden said many of these people turn to heroin because it is cheaper than pills, which can sometimes cost $80 per pill. Meanwhile, Tilden said heroin can cost around $5 per baggie.
Cory Johnson, a person currently in recovery, spoke about his experiences with heroin, as well as his efforts to fight his addiction. He said he lost friends and family members early in his life, adding he started with marijuana and cocaine in an effort to try to hide his emotions. Then when nothing was working anymore, Johnson said he turned to heroin and used it for four years.
Johnson described how during his time on heroin, he was often angry and very distant from friends and family. He said it took being arrested and put in jail for him to understand how bad his problem was, adding his best friend also helped him seek help for his addiction.
"It's not worth it," Johnson said. "[...] People need help. A lot of people just need a hand."
Tammy Kerr spoke about her struggles being a parent of an addicted child. She outlined her "rookie mistakes," the first of which she said was trying to fix the problem when she found out her 20-year-old daughter was addicted to opioids. Kerr said instead of helping the situation, she ended up enabling her daughter's drug abuse. She noted her daughter went to rehab once the family found out, but said insurance only paid for three weeks, which she noted is not enough time.
Kerr said once her daughter came back from rehab, she moved in with a boy and started to pull away from family members. Kerr said giving her daughter cash during this time was another "rookie mistake" that enabled her drug use.
She then told a story of receiving a call about her daughter being unresponsive on the floor of the boy's apartment. Kerr said when first responders arrived, she was not responding, foaming at the mouth and having a seizure. While Kerr noted it turned out her daughter was suffering from the effects of synthetic marijuana and not heroin, it led the child protective services taking away her daughter's parental rights until she got clean. Kerr described the worry and fear she experiences every day because of her daughter's addiction. She said people need to stop calling people who are suffering from their addiction names, adding it increases the chance they will not seek help.
During the meeting's question and answer session, some community members asked what can be done to help keep their children off of drugs. Johnson responded there is a lot of societal pressure to use drugs to fit in. He added parents have the tough job of trying to balance between being too lenient to the point they enable their child's use, and being too harsh in their punishments.
"In the end, if a child is going to experiment with drugs, he is going to experiment," Johnson said.
He also said parents who let their children use drugs, but only in their house under their supervision, are making a big mistake, adding it often spreads to other kids this way. One of the most important points Johnson stressed throughout the evening was to not ever give up on one's children, adding a lot of people suffering from addiction need someone to help them get better.
The heroin discussion was not just limited to the forum Monday. While Watkins Glen Police Chief Tom Struble was not at the gathering, he spoke to the Watkins Glen village board about heroin use in the county. Struble described heroin as an epidemic, adding they need support from the community to combat the issue.
The state Assembly Minority Task Force on Heroin Addiction and Community Response also released a report last week outlining the steps the state plans to take to combat the drug's spread. The task force recommends not only providing more drug and heroin education while supporting tools and advocacy programs, but also increasing funding and improving methods for treatment and recovery. The task force also recommends reevaluating insurance laws, parity laws and reimbursement rates, while also suggesting criminal justice and judicial improvements along with improving connections between correctional and addiction services.