Birminghan Post-Herald, October 28, 2004
435 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 595-6262
October 28, 2004
Re: Residents oppose a private methadone clinic in Saginaw by DANIEL Jackson (10/27/04).
To the editor:
It is wonderful to see an objective article about methadone treatment. The tendency is for the media to sensationalize stories because that sells papers rather than attempt to portray a fair article that can save the community hundreds of thousands of dollars.
No one knows the real cost of an untreated addict in the community except that it is expensive. I have seen figures from $50,000 a year to $200,000 a year and it also depends on what you are including as a cost of addiction. The loss of productive citizens is difficult to measure as is the price of foster care first to the community and the lasting effects that the loss of patients will have on a child for the rest of their lives. Perhaps this is what society understands the least; opiate addiction not only impacts the individual but their family and the entire community even though most citizens do not realize it.
The other thing that society does not understand is that most addicts do not want to be addicts. No they are not weak willed and in fact they probably have the strongest wills of all and many have resisted for long periods of time. However certain things can trigger an addiction like stress and stress is just as much a part of society today as addiction has become.
People come into methadone treatment not because it is easy but typically because they have tried everything else and nothing has worked. It is their last desperation and most do not think it will work because they believe the same things that society does. What usually happens in months and sometimes in weeks is that they begin to get their lives straightened out. They are able to repair family relationships, they can work and have goals in life like anyone else. They begin to distinguish themselves and become the persons that they would have been had they not been side tracked.
With this in mind a well run methadone program will cause property values to drop when they will most likely increase because crime rates will decrease and other public health indicators that substantiate the quality of life will be improved. Neither will these patients come from far away. They are your neighbors and for myself I would prefer that my neighbor was in methadone treatment. I want a good neighbor and people dependent on opiates may want to be good neighbors but very often they have very little control over such things until they are able to find treatment.
I recall some comments about one fine citizen doing research on the internet which is problematic to start with. However from his comments it was clear that he did not read any scientific research or even the respected National Institute of Health. I strongly suspect from his comments that he was Reading news articles that I indicated at the start tended to sensationalize issues because that sells newspapers. In the past year there have been several programs trying to open that were thwarted by unfound fears and community opposition.
Since its beginning over 30 years ago methadone has been the most effective treatment for opiate addiction, resulting in the termination both of opiate drug use and of criminal behavior. In spite of its success, methadone maintenance is often disparaged as a “substitute drug” by those who ignore the positive benefits that it has clearly brought to society. Such attitudes negatively impact on methadone treatment in a variety of ways, but it is the methadone patients themselves who are particularly stigmatized and harmed. Patients are mistreated and misinformed and considered as social outcasts. They are victims of discrimination in health care, the job market, education, insurance and housing. Even treatment professionals are often ashamed to admit that they work in this field. This atmosphere will not change as long as there is no organization or formal mechanism for methadone patients to voice their own needs and to form a strong, unified public presence on their behalf.
NAMA works to correct the misconceptions about methadone maintenance treatment and overcome the prejudice directed against methadone patients. NAMA strives to educate communities and policy makers about the benefits of methadone treatment and responds to the negative and sensationalized media, supports the growth of local advocacy groups, advocates for treatment on demand and provides a platform whereby methadone patients can express their concerns about their quality of life.
Today, many methadone patients feel ashamed of the very treatment that has helped them. They feel alone, no longer “dope fiends” but still not a part of society, and with nowhere to turn for support. This situation is hardly conducive to rehabilitation. Yet the majority of methadone patients have proven they are capable and successful in the practical world, as lawyers and waitresses, construction workers and housewives, teachers and cab drivers.
Together, we can make a difference.
Joycelyn Woods, M.A., C.M.A.
President
[email protected]
Methadone.org