Hanover vs. heroin: Not just an urban problem
By Jennifer Wentz, The Evening Sun, Hanover, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Her son,
On a spring day nearly five years ago, she walked into his room in their
Fast forward to
"And needless to say, that was the end of my world as I knew it," Lawrence-Felton said in March. "It's like I just stepped outside and was given a whole new life I never wanted."
That new life is filled with questions that, four years after her son's death, still remain unanswered. Why doesn't
As she searches for answers, she also searches in vain for a part of herself, she said, she knows she'll never get back.
"I lost a lot of things," she said, fighting back tears. "I lost who I once was because when you're a mom and you lose one of your children, it's not something you can describe."
Heroin use on the rise
In 2013,
At this rate, the county could see upwards of 70 heroin deaths by the end of 2014, she said.
"We're already at the level of last year," she said. "And it's not just the city, it's county-wide."
Related: Heroin's climbing death toll prompts community response in
As leader of the
A decade ago, he might have seen one or two heroin arrests per year, he said. In the past few years, however, those numbers have gone up.
Of the 69 felony drug arrests made in
Additionally, three people in
Sinnett said Oxycodone is usually the drug of choice among opiate users. One Oxycodone pill, however, can cost
National public service campaigns have also decreased the amount of prescription opiates on the black market, said
"Once the (
No "typical" addicts
Amid the crime statistics and death records, the faces of people affected by the drug are often lost in a sea of stereotypes. Four years after the death of her son, Aaron,
When people think of heroin addicts, she said, they picture a "junkie," someone from a broken family who hangs out on street corners and only cares about where he's going to get his next fix.
Lawrence-Felton, however, knows nothing could be further from the truth.
When she thinks of an addict, she said, she thinks of people like her son, who, as a boy, got up early on trash days because he wanted to be a garbage man when he grew up. The boy who loved his dog and liked to jump his bike off of ramps. The boy with a contagious laugh and daredevil's spirit.
Her son definitely had problems, she said, but he was anything but a junkie.
"People see an addict as a street person, someone who is lower than life, and they're not," she said. "My son definitely was not that. The disease of addiction just took him."
This disease, experts say, does not discriminate -- rich or poor, young or old, urban or rural. As a result, there is no longer a "typical" heroin user.
Most of the overdose victims in
Of the few
Additionally, there seems to be no locale where people are less likely to buy the drug.
"Heroin used to really be concentrated in the city and urban areas, but in the last five or 10 years, it's really spread to the rural and suburban areas," said
Sinnett has seen this spread of the drug firsthand. While he said the bulk of his cases tend to be near the border of
The issue, he said, is that dealers in
Sinnett praised his
For residents already addicted to the drug, however, these arrests often come too late.
Life and death of a heroin addict
The
"It was fun when I started doing it, but I just wanted to quit for the longest time," said Utermahlen, now 24 years old.
Utermahlen dropped out of high school to work full-time, but he soon lost that job because of his addiction, he said. Friends wanted nothing to do with him. Weight seemed to melt off, and he wore long sleeves to hide the marks of the addiction.
Utermahlen tried several times to quit, but the withdrawal symptoms -- depression, fever, cramps -- would leave him bedridden and he would run back to the drug just to feel normal.
Every time he shot up, he said, he knew he was just one misstep away from an overdose.
"It used to scare the crap out of me thinking about it," he said, "but I was so addicted, I didn't even care at the time if it happened to me."
The problem is that heroin creates an intensely euphoric high, Matylewicz said. Users, however, build up a tolerance over time, and they have to use the drug just to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
"You can die from alcohol withdrawal, and you can die from benzodiazepine withdrawal," he said. "You don't die from heroin withdrawal or detox, but you wish you were dead because you're so sick."
In 2009, Utermahlen was arrested as part of Operation Smackdown, a drug bust led by the
Sentenced to two to four years of state prison, Utermahlen had no choice but to get clean.
"After that point, I was like, 'I'm never doing that again,'" he said. "It was scary, thinking I could get four years. I did everything I could to turn my life around."
And he did just that. After receiving a year of intensive therapy in the prison system, he finished his sentence and was released in 2011. Now, he devotes his life to two things: his job at a car dealership in
"My life changed for the better," he said. "I work and try to be the best person I can be. I try to be a good dad, a good friend, a good person to work with."
Many heroin users, however, never see a happy ending.
About halfway through his prison sentence, Utermahlen picked up a copy of the newspaper and read that his childhood friend,
"It's just crazy thinking that could have been me," he said. "I think that's what keeps me from going back to it."
Treatment available -- at a cost
When Lawrence-Felton talks to addicts looking for help, she tells them they have three options: get well, get a jail sentence or get a casket.
Finding help, however, often requires time, money and transportation -- three things, she said, addicts don't typically have. And the longer addicts continue using, the more likely they are to overdose, she said.
"There's not a lot here that people can turn to," Utermahlen said. "If it weren't for jail, it could have happened to me."
Inpatient treatment costs vary greatly throughout the state, ranging from
While many treatment centers work with insurance companies, they often refuse to cover more than 30 days of treatment, he said. Heroin addicts, however, typically require at least 60 to 90 days of inpatient care.
Outpatient services also vary. At Cornerstone Counseling and Education Services in
Like many local outpatient facilities, Cornerstone tries to lower client costs by partnering with private insurance companies. Some clients may also have access to funds from the
While the
"I think the problem is large enough having more inpatient options would be helpful," Kemper said.
Rallying for change
Four years after her son's death, Lawrence-Felton says more still needs to be done to combat the drug that took his life.
She would like to see more treatment options, less stigma against addicts looking to get help, and more state-level legislation, like good samaritan laws and legalization of overdose prevention drugs.
In this file photo,
"I have emailed everyone from the
She has, however, been able to make a difference in her own way.
In
Lawrence-Felton has also organized three local rallies to raise awareness about the drug. She hopes to hold a fourth rally this summer, as well as a support picnic for families of addicts.
Still, she wishes she could do more. One day, she would love to open the
For now, she tries to find contentment knowing she is making a better world for her two living sons.
"It brought me to tears after my second rally when my son came up to me and said, 'Mom, I wanted to tell you I'm very proud of you. And I know that Aaron's looking down, and he's proud too,'" she said. "And that meant more to me than anything in the world."
Get help
Several commission-supported facilities offer 24-hour help
TrueNorth Mobile Crisis Unit: 717-637-7633 or 717-334-0468
Wellspan York Hospital Crisis Unit: 717-851-5320 or 800-673-2496
Hospitals can also provide 24/7 emergency care but do not hold contract with the drug and alcohol commission
Related links
Police seize 65 bags of heroin
DA unveils new medication dropboxes
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