A PRESCRIPTION FOR TROUBLE

Methadone Treatments Can Be A Slippery Slope

Editor's Note: This article is the third in a series looking at the growing
prescription drug problem in Onslow County.

Workers at a local methadone clinic say they want to dispel the myth
that they are legalized drug dealers.

The Jacksonville Treatment Center on Bell Fork Road offers opiate
addicts a chance to function normally in society, said Melissa Nobles,
a counselor at the clinic.

Retired Marine Sgt. Major David Evans, a clinic case manager, said
much of the stigma surrounding methadone clinics comes from the notion
that most of the patients are heroin junkies receiving a fix.

"Heroin addicts make up only 3 percent of our patients," he said. "The
vast majority of our patients are hooked on prescription pain pills.
Painkillers are the new heroin. The days of the street corner drug
dealer are over. You can pick up the phone, make a call and have pills
delivered like ordering a pizza." Opiates - painkillers prescribed by
doctors for legitimate reasons - significantly reduce the production
of endorphins, the chemicals in the brain that allow a person to feel
pleasure. Addicts begin to crave more drugs to make up the difference.
Since methadone, a synthetic that lasts much longer than opiates, does
not produce feelings of euphoria or sedation, the treatment helps an
addict feel normal, according to information provided by the Drug
Policy Alliance.

Evans said he was skeptical of methadone treatments himself before
going to work at the clinic. But now he has seen what a difference
methadone can make in someone's life.

"Addicts are thieves, liars and cheats," he said. "I've seen methadone
and the support that goes with it give them a chance to rejoin
society." Patients on a methadone maintenance treatment program are
not out stealing to get money for drugs, they are able to go to work
and keep a job, and are getting a real night's sleep, Nobles said.

After being approved, an addict hooked on opiates can go to the clinic
and receive a daily methadone dose, which is always given in liquid
form at the Jacksonville Treatment Center.

Patients have to drink their methadone dosage in front of a nurse,
drink a cup of water and then speak to the nurse, Nobles said. "Every
precaution is taken to make sure our patients are not misusing the
methadone," she said.

Nobles said she knows doctors in the area who will prescribe 30 days
worth of methadone.

"That is where methadone on the street is coming from, not from
methadone clinics," she said.

The Jacksonville Treatment Center does not accept Medicaid or private
insurance. "If you can hustle $80 a day to pay for Oxy, you can afford
$10 a day for methadone," Nobles said, adding that the Jacksonville
Treatment Center is one of the least expensive methadone clinics in
the state. Getting off opiates takes time. Every six months a person
used pills translates into two months of treatment, Nobles said.
Patients have to go to the clinic every day to receive their dose and
speak to a counselor twice a week. After two years in treatment,
patients can take home a week's supply, but they must submit to spot
checks, according to information provided by the clinic.

Most of the clinic's patients are soccer coaches, doctors and lawyers,
and "normal people that hurt their back or got injured and were
prescribed pain medication by a doctor," Nobles said.

Evans said he is treating several active-duty Marines for opiate
addiction. He said many young Marines have been prescribed painkillers
for injuries suffered in Iraq and became addicted.

"Opiate addiction is a legitimate health problem, like diabetes," he
said. "I don't see anyone running around saying we shouldn't give
insulin to diabetics."

Evans and Nobles said educating the public to the positive aspects of
methadone is extremely important going into the future. "We offer
tours of the clinic to anyone who wants one," Evans said. "We will go
out to any organization and make a presentation about how methadone
helps addicts." Nobles said she is preparing for an open house event
at the clinic in September, which is National Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Recovery Month. "The main thing we do is treat our patients
with respect and dignity," Evans said.