By: Deborah McDermott
January 5th, 2019

Please go to seacoastonline to read the full article. 

~~Excerpt

Stan’s story may sound familiar. Injured on the job years ago, the middle-aged man became addicted to pain medication, and so easily transitioned to heroin. He used, his wife used, his son used, “just to feel normal,” he said.

David, a young Seacoast resident, has already been in jail on heroin possession charges. “I was in a bad breakup, and I wanted to mask the pain. Heroin filled that void.” A father, he said his 10-year-old son would find David sick as a dog from drug consumption during their weekend visits.

From different backgrounds, at different ages, with different impetuses, but with the same desire to quit, the two men these days can be found in outpatient treatment at the Recovery Center at York Hospital. Seacoast Sunday is using pseudonyms at their request. They came of their own volition, and are in the early stages of a 6- to 9-month commitment to recovery.

The intensive treatment program has been a challenge but a godsend, they say, with counselors who “actually care” about them and prove it. In David’s case, they wrote letters to the court outlining his progress, which resulted in a suspended sentence on a recent drug charge. In Stan’s case, they found a veterinarian to put his dog down – giving him time to appropriately grieve the loss of a beloved pet whose illness had been triggering use. And both men say they are very grateful.

“I stand in the ashes of my former self,” said David.