A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

From Drug User to Drug Dealer to Prison Inmate – the Life of a Recovering Heroin Addict

Jennifer Vanlieu was addicted to heroin and painkillers for some time before she found a methadone clinic that could help her beat the drug addiction and hopefully get her life back on track. What she didn’t know was that her decision to use methadone as a means of transitioning from being addicted to heroin to attempting recovery would change her life—in a big way!

Jennifer made her way through the methadone clinic, coming daily to get her dose. After a couple of months, she was then allowed to have a “take home” dose given to her by which she would show up at the Indiana methadone clinic and be given a dose of methadone that she could physically carry out with her and take home for prolonged use. Unfortunately, this would end her life as a drug user and dramatically switch her to a drug dealer.

You see, Jennifer shared her methadone dose with a friend who later left her home and took a dangerous mix of other drugs in addition to the 15 mg of methadone that Jennifer had given her. Hours later, Carissa Plemons, Jennifer’s friend, was dead. The drugs that she tool along with the methadone proved to be a lethal dose and Jennifer, now gone from drug user to drug dealer would soon face years in prison.

Ultimately, although Jennifer claims that she did not sell Carissa the dose of methadone, it was that dose paired with other drugs that killed Carissa and landed Jennifer with a 6 year prison sentence for dealing drugs. Today, prosecutors around the country tout methadone clinics and their allowing addicts or those in recovery to “take home” the drug as a major problem and the contributor to many crimes throughout the country.

In Indiana, prosecutor F. Aaron Negangard claims that when it’s not the dealing of methadone taking place right in the parking lot of the clinic or somewhere close by it’s people robbing a bank to get the money they need to purchase methadone or it’s people heading out of the clinic and down the road to the local fast food chain to shoot up in the bathroom. The problems that are arising as a result of “take home” or “carry out” methadone are prevalent wherever there is a methadone clinic nearby.

Unfortunately, this is not helping the situation any either. People who take methadone responsibly do so to help curb cravings and stop withdrawal symptoms when they are recovering from heroin or other opiate addictions. For those few who do use the drug correctly, there are millions who are purchasing methadone illegally on the street and there are those who are using the clinics as a means of getting the drug to make a quick sale.

Treatment for heroin addiction has long included methadone maintenance but in the past, methadone was prescribed to patients in residential treatment facilities where there was no chance of others getting their hands on the drug. Today, after just a couple of weeks of faithfully visiting the local methadone clinic, just about anybody could get their hands on a “take home” supply. Whether it’s just a couple of days worth or a week’s worth, the take home methadone is wreaking havoc on the nation causing an increase in the number of methadone related deaths country wide.

Resources:

Business Week News

Methadone Maintenance Treatment

More Treatment & Detox Articles

The Business of Opium in Afghanistan: Drug Addiction

Afghanistan supplies virtually all of the world’s illegal opium. Last year, the country’s drug trade was a $4-billion business, half of which alone was produced in the south where the fighting against the Taliban insurgency is the fiercest. Getting Afghanistan to rid itself of poppy is a pillar of U.S. policy there, because the Taliban….

Continue reading

When You’re the Adult Child of an Alcoholic Parent

You may not drink, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t affected by alcoholism. If you are the adult child of an alcoholic parent, learn how to cope with the effect alcoholism has had on your life. When a parent abuses alcohol, the whole family suffers. Children are especially at risk. Growing up in an alcoholic….

Continue reading

Signs of Depression to Look Out For

Depression can actually impair an individual’s overall ability to function in their day to day lives, and can result in that individual feeling as if taking their life is the only way to escape the emotions of despair that are experienced. Depression is an issue that affects millions of individuals around the world. This is….

Continue reading

April marks Alcohol Awareness Month

Each day, millions of individuals and families struggle to cope with the harsh realities of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. To highlight the prevalence and seriousness of alcohol abuse in the U.S., the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) is calling upon all Ohioans to recognize April as National Alcohol Awareness Month. Founded….

Continue reading

Remembering The Good Times Helps Alcoholics Stay Sober

Recovering alcoholics who focus on positive experiences in their past may be more successful in managing their addiction. This is the finding of a study by Sarah Davies and Professor Gail Kinman of the University of Bedfordshire that was presented on the 16th April 2010, at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon. A….

Continue reading

Calls to the general helpline will be answered by a paid advertiser. By calling the helpline you agree to our terms of use.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW 888-647-0579Response time about 1 min | Response rate 100%
Who Answers?