The Risks of Opioids

Success Story:

A man in his mid-30s, who immigrated from Portugal over 10 years ago, was first seen at HealthFirst almost 5 years ago. Routine new patient labs led to a diagnosis of Hepatitis C and the discovery of his IV drug use history. He began using heroin when he was 18 years old and his use escalated to daily IV use until one year prior to coming to HealthFirst when he started buying Suboxone off the street to treat his withdrawal symptoms and cravings for heroin.  No one in his family ever knew he was using heroin until after he stopped using.

His Hepatitis C was successfully treated and he was subsequently referred to OAR at his yearly physical.  He enrolled in the OAR program TWO DAYS prior to his wedding. With his wife’s and family’s support, he has done well on low-dose Suboxone (3 mg daily). He explained that the intensive counseling at OAR “helped me a lot” to deal with events that happened while he was using and helped keep him from relapsing.

While enrolled in OAR, he obtained his driver’s license and his green card.  He works full-time and is a devoted husband and father. He plans to visit his family in Portugal this summer for the first time since he immigrated to the United States.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®, or NDAFW, is an annual, week-long, health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. It provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners to help advance the science and address youth drug and alcohol use in communities and nationwide. It was launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction.

You don’t need to do it alone…we are here to help you on your journey to recovery.