Substance abuse, particularly opioid addiction, is a growing problem that permeates society. Fighting it requires a multi-faceted approach, according to Maureen Dee, executive director of the treatment, prevention and recovery services at Catholic Charities.
Dee addressed the First Friday Forum of Lorain County?s lunch meeting on March 2 at Lorain County Community College?s Spitzer Conference Center. She came armed with statistics showing how serious the opioid addiction problem has become in just a few years. Her topic was ?The Effects of Opioids on Society and on Lorain County.?
Dan Alonzo, director of the Catholic Commission of Lorain County and a First Friday Forum board member, introduced Dee, who has an extensive background in social work and treatment and recovery work.
?We?ve had epidemics before,? Dee said, referring to a large number of heroin-related deaths in the 1970s. ?But nothing as high as we?re experiencing now.?
She said after heroin, crack cocaine became a popular drug. Next was the pain medication crisis with powerful drugs being overprescribed. She said as law enforcement began cracking down on ?pill mills,? peopled turned to heroin because it was inexpensive.
But the real problem now is synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Since 2013, Dee said the number of drug overdose deaths has shot up, with more than 64,000 Americans dying from drug overdoses in 2016
