Another dose of OC horror stories
By Allison Morgan / [email protected]
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Parents of addicts talk to Malden High seniors about the painkiller's effects
A day before prom and a week before graduation Malden seniors were dealt the hard facts about OxyContin and drug addiction Thursday.
"This is the crack cocaine of the millennium," said Police Chief Kenneth Coye. "If you become involved with this drug, you will become addicted. It takes as few as three to five uses."
First created in 1996 for pain relief, he described OxyContin as a "cruel" drug because once addicted a person experiences no euphoric feelings from taking it, and simply has to take it to avoid getting sick.
"It's also a very expensive drug," said Coye. "Once people can't afford OxyContin they look to heroin."
He added, with OxyContin becoming generic, and thus cheaper, very shortly, the danger of the drug will grow significantly.
Parent Cathy Monico asked seniors to put aside their excitement about prom and graduation for just a moment as she talked about her family's struggle with OxyContin addiction.
"My daughter was where you are, four years ago," she said. "She's now living in a halfway house."
Since trying the drug at a graduation party, Monico's daughter has spent the past four years battling addiction while wreaking emotional and financial havoc on those around her.
"The first year she had many jobs because she would steal money from an employer and then get fired," said Monico. "She stopped working after a year and started stealing from her friends and family. She now has a criminal record."
In fact, her daughter stole so much money from her, Monico lost her home.
"She's not welcome at anyone's home in my family because of her stealing," she said. "Her only sibling, her brother, wants nothing to do with her."
Monico added, she and her husband are holding out hope that they're daughter will someday get clean but still wait to get that phone call telling them she's dead.
"This is what drugs do to your family," she said. "They affect everyone around you."
Joanne Brandano, whose daughter, a 1989 graduate of Malden High, is also addicted to OxyContin, agreed
"I'm sitting down with a junkie every day," she said.
Brandano's daughter tried the drug a few years ago at age 30. Soon after she became addicted and subsequently spent all her money, lost her business, moved home and began going through her parents' money. She's since begun using heroin because it's cheaper.
Ironically, Brandano works as a drug counselor at a methadone clinic, a place where heroin addicts go to get clean.
"It's a completely different ball game once you take one pill," she said. "In one year, she went through $30,000 of my money that I can't account for."
Brandano's daughter is now in a Danvers rehab center.
"She's lost everything she had. Her car, her business, her friends. She's this close to loosing her family," she said.
"Don't try the oxys. Just don't do it," Brandano continued. "It only takes one time and your life is in the gutter."
Ward 7 Councilor Chris Simonelli, who heads the city's Drug Task Force, encouraged the students to steer clear of drugs all together, especially OxyContin.
"I can tell you from experience, I've seen what the drug can do," he said. "When somebody says, hey, take this it's terrific, we want you to have the knowledge to make your own decisions."
Director of Healthy Malden, Inc., David Kilpatrick, said an major anti-drug campaign will be launched in Malden this summer and fall, targeting middle and high school students.
"We're going all out because this is such a major, major concern," he said.
Coye said police will continue their diligence in attacking the OxyContin problem head on.
"We cannot arrest our way out of this," he said.
Link
By Allison Morgan / [email protected]
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Parents of addicts talk to Malden High seniors about the painkiller's effects
A day before prom and a week before graduation Malden seniors were dealt the hard facts about OxyContin and drug addiction Thursday.
"This is the crack cocaine of the millennium," said Police Chief Kenneth Coye. "If you become involved with this drug, you will become addicted. It takes as few as three to five uses."
First created in 1996 for pain relief, he described OxyContin as a "cruel" drug because once addicted a person experiences no euphoric feelings from taking it, and simply has to take it to avoid getting sick.
"It's also a very expensive drug," said Coye. "Once people can't afford OxyContin they look to heroin."
He added, with OxyContin becoming generic, and thus cheaper, very shortly, the danger of the drug will grow significantly.
Parent Cathy Monico asked seniors to put aside their excitement about prom and graduation for just a moment as she talked about her family's struggle with OxyContin addiction.
"My daughter was where you are, four years ago," she said. "She's now living in a halfway house."
Since trying the drug at a graduation party, Monico's daughter has spent the past four years battling addiction while wreaking emotional and financial havoc on those around her.
"The first year she had many jobs because she would steal money from an employer and then get fired," said Monico. "She stopped working after a year and started stealing from her friends and family. She now has a criminal record."
In fact, her daughter stole so much money from her, Monico lost her home.
"She's not welcome at anyone's home in my family because of her stealing," she said. "Her only sibling, her brother, wants nothing to do with her."
Monico added, she and her husband are holding out hope that they're daughter will someday get clean but still wait to get that phone call telling them she's dead.
"This is what drugs do to your family," she said. "They affect everyone around you."
Joanne Brandano, whose daughter, a 1989 graduate of Malden High, is also addicted to OxyContin, agreed
"I'm sitting down with a junkie every day," she said.
Brandano's daughter tried the drug a few years ago at age 30. Soon after she became addicted and subsequently spent all her money, lost her business, moved home and began going through her parents' money. She's since begun using heroin because it's cheaper.
Ironically, Brandano works as a drug counselor at a methadone clinic, a place where heroin addicts go to get clean.
"It's a completely different ball game once you take one pill," she said. "In one year, she went through $30,000 of my money that I can't account for."
Brandano's daughter is now in a Danvers rehab center.
"She's lost everything she had. Her car, her business, her friends. She's this close to loosing her family," she said.
"Don't try the oxys. Just don't do it," Brandano continued. "It only takes one time and your life is in the gutter."
Ward 7 Councilor Chris Simonelli, who heads the city's Drug Task Force, encouraged the students to steer clear of drugs all together, especially OxyContin.
"I can tell you from experience, I've seen what the drug can do," he said. "When somebody says, hey, take this it's terrific, we want you to have the knowledge to make your own decisions."
Director of Healthy Malden, Inc., David Kilpatrick, said an major anti-drug campaign will be launched in Malden this summer and fall, targeting middle and high school students.
"We're going all out because this is such a major, major concern," he said.
Coye said police will continue their diligence in attacking the OxyContin problem head on.
"We cannot arrest our way out of this," he said.
Link
