Pubdate: Mon, 01 Sep 2008
Source: Telegraph-Journal (Saint John, CN NK)
Copyright: 2008 Brunswick News Inc.
Contact: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/onsite.php?page=contact
Website: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2878
Author: Andrew McGilligan

CITY POLICE CRAVE A FIX FOR ADDICTS

Law Officers Say Most Of The Calls They Receive Are Related To Drugs

SAINT JOHN - "I'm going to commit a crime."

Hearing those words sounded odd to Const. Michelle Bliss of the Saint 
John Police Force.

It's not often someone confesses to police before committing a crime.

However, not much surprises Bliss and Sgt. Jim Fleming when it comes 
to dealing with drug and drug addiction in the city.

In terms of a pre-emptive confession, Bliss said it was out of 
desperation - a criminal act as a cry for help.

"I've had girls tell me they were going to commit a crime hoping the 
judge would put them in (methadone) treatment," Bliss said. "They 
don't want to do something bad, but they feel they need to do 
something to get the help they need."

Police deal with the barrage of people in need of help due to an 
opiate addiction, many committing crimes to feed their habit.

Fleming and Bliss deal with drugs and their spin-offs such as crime 
and mental health issues on a daily basis. In fact, the pair agree 
that dealing with a call or individual not associated with drugs is rare.

"The vast majority of crimes we deal with - car breaks, damage, 
disorder, fighting, arguing - is from a desperation to get drugs," 
Fleming said. "It's very seldom we deal with someone who isn't 
addicted - it's the exception."

Both have heard pleas from addicts for help. Some want to change, but 
the city's lone methadone maintenance program is at capacity and not 
accepting any new patients. The program involves treating the 
addiction with methadone, a drug that helps reduce an addict's 
cravings, and a variety of social services, including counselling.

Marj Mullin, director of the methadone maintenance program at 
Ridgewood, said while the program is full, those seeking help are 
encouraged to try other services to battle their addiction.

She said methadone maintenance is an intensive process and not 
everyone needs it.

One option is the detox program. Also housed at Ridgewood, detox 
helps people deal with several types of addictions, including 
opiates. For Dilaudid addicts, the voluntary process involves taking 
a prescribed amount of methadone to help quell cravings and treatment 
lasts approximately two weeks.

Director of the detox program Karen Thomas said while undergoing 
treatment, clients also attend group therapy sessions and other 
programs to help them stay clean once they're discharged.

However, once the program is over, the patients leave without any 
more methadone to help with their recovery.

"We give them tools to help them when they do leave, but 
unfortunately, a lot of them go back into the same circumstances they 
were in before they came to us," Thomas said.

Often, those leaving the detox program will end up relapsing and will 
see police or Thomas again.

A frustrating proposition, but Thomas and staff at the detox centre 
see it another way.

"Every time they come back you hope they take something away with 
them that will help them stay clean," she said.

Fleming, Bliss and Thomas say the need to expand the methadone 
maintenance program is great. If something isn't done soon, then the 
disturbing trends they see with intravenous drug use on a daily basis 
will continue.

"IV drug use is definitely on the rise," Thomas said. "I worked here 
many years ago and most of the clients were male and alcoholics.

"Now it's men and women and almost all street drugs."

She said the average age of clients occupying the facility's 20 beds 
has also dropped.

"I'm seeing now that it's a lot of younger people"|a lot under 25."

For Fleming, he often sees the end result of prolonged opiate use.

"Every year we lose six or seven girls who pass on either in a 
comatose state in the hospital or right out on the street," he said.

For Bliss, watching someone deteriorate in front of her eyes while 
asking for help has become an unfortunate reality of the job.

"When they want help, they want it today and they're ready for it 
today," Bliss said.

"But a month from now they'll be back on drugs if they don't get help 
and that's a frustrating issue.

"To see them out there, wasting away it breaks your heart."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom