Vivitrol and Families Matter Help Three Residents with Addiction

By Kirby Reed
VILLAS – For every drug-related arrest or overdose in Cape May County, there is a story of redemption, of recovery. Three area residents sat down with the Herald in July to share their stories in the hopes that their experiences might help others who feel hopeless in their own battles with substance abuse.
Each person featured in this article was a part of the Vivitrol Pilot Program, a Driving Under the Influence Initiative from the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The six-month study has had very positive results, and is now open to all DUI offenders in the state.
Sue, of Wildwood, was never a drinker. Raised in a strict household, Sue only began drinking after she was married. She and her husband, who was a heavy drinker, would often find themselves passing a bottle of vodka back and forth. “We wouldn’t even dirty a shot glass,” she said.
But two years ago, Sue received a phone call that would change her life. Her father, whom she adored, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given just months to live. “I lost my license because of the DUI, so I depended on people to take me to Philadelphia to visit my dad,” Sue said, tears in her eyes. “My son called and said I needed to go up, he doesn’t look the same. My sister said that dad knew I couldn’t drive and he was laying there saying ‘I’m waiting for my Susie to take the bus up to see me.’”
Sue continued to abuse alcohol while visiting her ailing father. “Even when I went up to visit him there was a pint outside or under someone’s car,” she said. It wasn’t until the threat of jail time that Sue finally hit rock bottom. At first Sue’s road to recovery wasn’t easy. “I was totally in denial,” she said. “I would tell them what they wanted to hear. It wasn’t even embarrassment at that time because I thought the behavior was normal.”
Sue was the first patient at Families Matter, Villas, to receive the Vivitrol injection. Vivitrol is a naltrexone extended-release injectable suspension approved to treat patients with opioid and alcohol dependence. Patricia Campbell, Director of Families Matter, LLC, Villas, said Sue is a success story. “When Sue first arrived here, she was drunk,” Campbell said. “Her cheeks were red, she looked totally different. I thought, ‘Thank God she’s here.’”
After receiving the injection Sue attended her daughter-in-law’s baby shower, an event where alcohol was present. Even though she was surrounded by it, Sue had no desire to drink. “I saw everyone drinking and I got chills,” she said. “That used to be me.”
Sue now has a new job, a new grandchild on the way, and a new outlook on life. “I’ve wasted so much time,” Sue said. “I never thought life could be like this. This facility has helped me tremendously.” Sue is also fortunate to have the support of her family. “For my kids to be proud, that to me is everything,” she said.
Cheryl, of Villas, started at Families Matter about a year ago. Like Sue, she turned to alcohol to cope with the loss of her father. “The night he passed away, I had some drinks and got pulled over for a DUI,” said Cheryl. “The judge said I was free and clear, but they told me to come here for some classes.” At first, Cheryl hated having to attend weekly meetings, but it wasn’t long until she looked forward to sessions with her counselor. “I think it saved my life,” she said.
Cheryl’s struggles with substance abuse started after the loss of her infant son. “That’s when the oxycontin and percocet got crazy,” she said. “I was using them as advised, up until a certain point, but halfway through, I was like, ‘Screw it, I’m already feeling down and miserable and lousy, might as well see if this will help.”
Cheryl had easy access to prescription drugs. She had been referred to a pain management center to deal with back pain following surgery. “He (the doctor) had me on oxycontin and percocet, eighty milligrams, four times a day,” Cheryl said. “He told me not to worry about becoming addicted. He said it was never going to be an addiction problem for me, that we’d control it.”
Even though Cheryl was concerned about the medicine and dosages, she trusted her doctor to know what was best. She followed her doctor’s advice for years, but knew she was headed down a dangerous path that left her feeling sick all the time.
“One day I woke up and thought, ‘This isn’t the kind of life that I want,’” she said. Cheryl stopped seeing the doctor who prescribed the painkillers and decided to stop taking the drugs altogether.
“When I decided to go off of it, I thought, ‘I lost five years of my life,’” she said. “I really slept through it. The painkillers were more or less like heroin, just a more expensive form of it.”
Some time later Cheryl fell back into old habits and ended up in a rehab facility. After that she wound up at Families Matter. Cheryl started attending weekly sessions, in conjunction with the Vivitrol, and found she could make decisions that would help her in her recovery. In the beginning Cheryl would avoid funerals, weddings, or other events where she knew people would be drinking. Eventually she decided to face her fear, and traveled to Atlantic City with her mother.
“I don’t know if it’s the Vivitrol, or if I’m really just enjoying my life again, but there’s free drinks in the casino and I didn’t even have a craving,” Cheryl said.
Like Sue, Cheryl is also looking forward to her “new” life, including the birth of her first grandchild. “I bought her the crib,” she said. “And that’s something I never would have been able to do if I was still using and drinking.”
This year marks 27 years since her son passed away, and for the first time Cheryl feels optimistic. “This is going to be the first year where I can say I’m not going to sit in my bed and cry the whole day,” she said, crediting her counselor Michelle for offering positive ways to honor her son. Cheryl also has another son, who she hopes will learn from her mistakes. “I can actually see the good things in life again,” she said. “I actually see a lot of things I could’ve done differently, but all I can do is move forward and do better.”
“I like me now,” Cheryl continued. “I’m not depressed, or sick in the morning. I feel great and I think it’s worth sharing. It’s not been an easy life, but I’m in control of it now.”
Dan, of Villas, is only 24 years old, but his experiences are more than most will face in a lifetime. Dan arrived at Families Matter after he was arrested for driving under the influence in May 2012. “I didn’t think I had much of a problem,” said Dan. “But I got put in an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC) and the IDRC test said I was prone to alcoholic tendencies, so they sent me here (Families Matter).”
Dan attended his scheduled sessions as well as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but he struggled with staying sober. Dan relapsed while in treatment and knew he needed extra help. “Halfway through treatment they told me about the Vivitrol Pilot,” said Dan. “I decided to give it a try because I was struggling with it so bad.”
After the first month Dan found his craving for alcohol diminished and he was glad to learn that should he slip and decide to drink, the Vivitrol, mixed with the alcohol, would make him sick. “I actually like the fact that my back’s up against the wall,” Dan said. “That way I can’t use. If I can use the Vivitrol and get time under my belt, it can help me get clean and stay clean.”
Dan was born and raised in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania and started drinking at a young age. “It was socially acceptable in that area,” he said. It wasn’t long before Dan started smoking marijuana, something he did every day for the next two years. After his parents’ divorce, Dan was sent to live with his dad. When an argument between father and son turned physical, Dan ran away and spent two months homeless, living in a park in Reading, Pennsylvania.
“I would shower at school,” said Dan. “I was eventually taken in by a family, but they all smoked weed too.” Soon Dan and his roommate were selling ecstasy and cocaine, but their supplies would end up with each other and Dan overdosed on more than one occasion.
“After that my mom gave me an ultimatum,” Dan said. “Either move down here with my grandma or she was cutting off communication.” So Dan moved to Cape May County and remained clean for the first few months. Eventually he started smoking marijuana again and he began taking pills, like percocet. At 21, he turned to drinking. “I never had money,” Dan said. “All my money went to drinks and drugs.”
Both Dan and Cheryl mentioned the accident on Bayshore Road, Villas, on July 31, 2012, that took the lives of two teenage girls, as a wake up call to their addictions. “My DUI was around the same time that guy hit those two girls and that was a real eye opener. I was a delivery driver that summer and the entire summer I was drinking and driving. I’d have a bottle of vodka with me at all times.”
But now Dan’s life is on track. He has a good job, a support group and sponsor, and he even has plans to return to the Art Institute of Philadelphia, after dropping out due to his substance abuse.
“I don’t have the want to drink,” Dan explained. “I feel confident that once I’m off the Vivitrol I won’t feel like I need it.” For his birthday, Dan went to Good Night, Irene’s with a group of friends. “The motto of the night was, ‘Buy me a drink, and drink it yourself,’” Dan said.
Dan highly recommends Vivitrol to anyone who might need extra help in overcoming their struggles with addiction. “It can only help,” he said. “If somebody has a problem, and they’re serious about getting clean, than do it. I think it’s a miracle drug. It definitely saved my life.”
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Addicts Offered Another Option For Treatment
By Kirby Reed, 6/10/13
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/people/villas/92721-another+option+adult+addicts