Experts see spike in LI painkiller addicts seeking help
Matthew Callaghan photographed at Phoenix House where he is recovering from an addiction to prescription drugs. (July 20, 2010) Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa
The number of people on Long Island seeking help for prescription painkiller addiction has spiked in recent years - an indicator, experts say, of both a growing awareness of the dangers of such medications and increasing abuse.
In Nassau and Suffolk, 5,664 addicts sought help in 2009, 1,516 more than in 2007, for narcotic painkiller addiction, a 36 percent jump, according to state figures. Among those aged 18-34, who often graduate to cheaper and readily available heroin, the spike was even higher - 61 percent for men and 57 percent for women.
Dr. Asmara Ejaz, medical director for addiction services at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, said the prevalence of pill addiction is on display daily at NUMC's 20-bed detox facility. She estimated 70 percent of patients abuse pain medications, particularly OxyContin and Vicodin or their generic equivalents; between a third and a half use pills exclusively.
"It's definitely on the rise and it's all kinds of pills," said Ejaz, adding that addicts are "very savvy and will go to different doctors for different medications or buy from dealers, some will use pain management clinics. The unfortunate thing is these doctors don't talk to each other and they don't know who is getting what."
Long Islanders, representing about 15 percent of New York's population, accounted for more than 20 percent of all admissions for opioid pill abuse during each of the past three years, according to the figures from the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
The trend on Long Island mirrors a national rise in prescription pain drug addiction. Health experts say it is the fastest-growing drug problem in America, ranking only behind alcohol and marijuana as the most-abused substances.
The rise in rehabilitation admissions to state-licensed facilities for painkiller addictions - which rose by 45 percent in New York State in the past three years - may foretell the next phase of the battle in Long Island's war against heroin, painkillers' illicit chemical relative that is so easy to obtain here.
Easier access to pills, heroin
As users need more pills to get high, money runs out, said Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Most heroin users also abuse pills, or started their addictions with prescriptions, he said.
"Even with kids with means, they quickly get priced out of the pills," Reynolds said. "Then they have someone tap them on the shoulder and say 'I have the same thing and it's only 10 bucks a bag.' Sold."
Long Island's proximity to New York City has kept availability of heroin higher and prices lower here than upstate, both seeding and feeding off the pill-abusing population, said Det. Lt. Pete Donohue, deputy commanding officer of Nassau's Narcotics and Vice Squad.
"You go into Bushwick [Brooklyn], you buy a hundred bags . . . you might get it for nine bucks a bag," he said. "Bring it back to the Island, it's maybe $13 to $15. Upstate, maybe you'll double your money."
John Austin of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Long Island field office agreed that New York is the hub. On Long Island, "you can expect to pay 5 to 10 percent more [for heroin]. Up in Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse, it's going to cost you more," Austin said.
Reynolds said state statistics underestimate Long Island's problem with pill addiction. About a quarter of LICADD's more than 150 monthly referrals go to out-of-state treatment centers, admissions that are not reflected in state numbers, he said.
Some attribute spike to awareness
OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo, however, cautioned against making a direct correlation between growing Long Island admissions and the prevalence of pill abuse. She attributed much of the spike in the number of Long Islanders in rehab for painkillers to an outspoken community response.
She also attributed the substantial increase in those seeking treatment for heroin on Long Island - admissions for those aged 26 and under using heroin more than doubled between 2007 and 2009 - largely to community awareness. This was particularly true after the 2008 overdose death of 18-year-old Natalie Ciappa at a party in Seaford, she said.
"It is an absolute problem but you're seeing those increases because you've seen so many tragedies, and people are mobilized," she said.
Heroin overdose deaths on Long Island, along with more drug arrests, have also spurred legislation, education programs and law enforcement efforts, including increases in both county police departments of officers assigned to combat heroin.
Know the facts
Risks of prescription drug abuse
- Opioid medications, like Vicodin and OxyContin, have a high risk for addiction and overdose. This is a particular concern when pills are crushed, snorted or smoked.
- Combining opioids and other pills with alcohol and other drugs can cause respiratory distress and death.
- Some addicts "graduate" to heroin, a chemically similar and relatively cheap illicit drug.
SOURCE: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Signs of prescription pill abuse
- A greater tolerance or desire for medications
- Neglecting responsibilities at home, school or work
- Missing medications or prescriptions
- Signs of unexplained trips to doctors, pain management clinics, or pharmacies
Where to turn for help
Prevention is the best treatment. Talk to loved ones about substance abuse issues and get rid of unnecessary medications, particularly pain pills like Vicodin and OxyContin, depressants like Valium and Xanax, and stimulants, which include Ritalin and Adderall.
- Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (evaluates problems, arranges interventions and refers to services), 516-747-2606
- Long Island Crisis Center (counseling and referral hotline for addicts and their families), 516-679-1111
- Narcotics Anonymous, Nassau: 516-827-9500, Suffolk: 631-689-6262
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
