Pubdate: Fri, 01 Apr 2016
Source: Day, The (New London,CT)
Copyright: 2016 The Day Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.theday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/293
Author: Kimberly Drelich

PANEL SHOWS IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO FIGHT OPIOID ADDICTION

Old Lyme - As speakers at a community forum Thursday evening shared 
their or their loved ones' stories of recovering from heroin 
addiction, they were met with a standing ovation by more than 100 attendees.

The forum at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, organized by the Community 
Action for Substance Free Youth under the Lymes' Youth Service 
Bureau, focused on treatment and prevention of opioid addiction.

Parker Rodriguez told the audience that he grew up with a loving 
family in Lyme. At age 12, he had his first drink and went on to 
experiment with drugs.

At age 18, he got in a car accident and was prescribed painkillers, 
which he started abusing.

One day, facing withdrawal when he couldn't obtain pills, he turned to heroin.

He described the feelings of withdrawal, which became worse later in 
his addiction and included chills, sweating, vomiting and a feeling 
of anxiety and a sense of crawling out of his skin.

During his addiction, Rodriguez said he alienated himself from his 
friends and family and felt shame, at times isolating himself in his apartment.

He tried treatment, but went back to using.

But Rodriguez said his story has a happy ending. He went to treatment 
and became active with Alcoholics Anonymous.

He is now in law school. He runs, he exercises, he meditates. "I wake 
up, and I'm free," he said. "I'm not a slave. I get to live, I get to 
love, I get to laugh: all of these things that were just unobtainable 
for six plus years of life. So my life is beautiful today, thanks to 
having a good support network and really working hard to get here."

Christa Quattromani, a mental health clinician at Lawrence+ Memorial 
Hospital in New London involved with Shine A Light On Heroin and 
Community Speaks Out, also shared her journey to recovery.

"Whenever thoughts of using creep in - because this is a lifelong 
disease, and the thoughts creep in every single day - I tell myself 
that there's a very simple formula," she said. "I can have my life, 
my family, my jobs, my peace of mind, health, happiness, friends, 
volunteer work, opportunities, I can have all that, or I can just 
have heroin and nothing else, because it will take everything and 
reduce your life to just it. And thanks to treatment and support and 
continuing to make that choice every day, I have everything, and no heroin."

Old Lyme resident Ellen Nichele, joined by her husband, Ritz Nichele, 
and younger son, Jonathan Nichele, an eighth-grader, shared the story 
of the recovery of her older son, a 2010 graduate of Lyme-Old Lyme.

Her athletic, handsome and hard-working son was offered marijuana the 
summer of eighth grade, which she said was the "gateway drug" to 
later addiction.

At 14, he severely fractured his arm in high school and took his 
first Percocet and could no longer play sports.

He became hooked and experimented with drugs, and this was the 
"turning point" in his life that led him to heroin addiction, she said.

Nichele said she is sharing her family's story to help other 
families, because she and her husband felt isolated as parents.

She also spoke about barriers to treatment, such as when she was told 
insurance would not cover treatment at many facilities.

She stressed the importance of support, sharing the words she told 
her son during one phone call that he said saved his life: "I love 
you, whether you're clean or using."

After receiving treatment, her son has now been sober for 18 months, she said.

Prior to the panelists who shared their personal stories, a first 
panel shared with the audience information and statistics about addiction.

The panel included Angela Duhaime of the Southeastern Regional Action 
Council; Julienne Giard, director of evidence-based practices and 
grants for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction 
Services; Michele Rollins, a pharmacist and Old Lyme resident; and 
Meagan Seacor, the community relations director for the Stonington Institute.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom