Helping the Victims of the Long Island Heroin Epidemic:
What Can Be Done?
Long Island is supposed to be the epitome of the American Dream. Nice houses, good schools, clean beaches – the idyllic place to raise children. But for a multitude of families, that dream has turned into a nightmare due to the rampant and alarming rise of heroin addiction. Because of heroin, communities are being destroyed, families are being shattered and, most importantly, precious lives are being lost. In 2013 and 2014, 145 and 137 deaths respectively were the result of heroin overdose.
Once associated with die-hard, down-on-their-luck junkies, heroin has moved into the mainstream — and a typical user looks a lot like the everyday people we know in the neighborhood. Just this past May, Long Island mom Denise Burke and her 18 year-old daughter were charged with sale and possession of heroin, having resorted to dealing the drug to feed their own all-consuming addictions. Teri Kroll, another Long Island mother, lost her 23 year-old son Tim, who became addicted to heroin after being prescribed opiates to treat his migraines when he was just 19.
Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, director of the Long Island Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence sums up the problem thus: “Drug traffickers around the world see America’s first and largest suburb, Long Island, as a prime target for marketing heroin.”
So how do you help a heroin addict? The first and most crucial step is removing them from the people, places and things associated with their substance abuse. Translated: get them out of Long Island and into a top-of-the-line facility where they can focus solely on themselves and their recovery. Reawakenings Wellness Center is located near the warm, serene beaches of Miramar, Florida with 24-hour pickup from the local Ft. Lauderdale airport. Once here, we offer a quiet, medical detox from heroin with every amenity available to make the process as comfortable as possible including housekeeping, laundry service, chef-prepared meals, customized detoxification shakes and the availability of private, single-bed rooms.
While detoxing, patients begin their treatment program immediately through both one-on-one and group therapy sessions. We also specialize in family therapy, as heroin abuse affects not just the user, but the parents, sisters, brothers and other loved ones as well.
Here, victims of the Long Island heroin epidemic will feel at home among other patients who are also moms, dads, working professionals and young adults whose lives have been derailed by drug use. Surrounded by and able to share with their peers, patients have the opportunity to discover and address the root cause of their addiction, then move on to lead rewarding, fulfilled lives.
If you or someone you know is addicted to heroin, don’t hesitate to call us at (855) 925-3669. Hope not lost and recovery is possible. Arise out of addiction. Call Reawakenings today.