I found out today that one of our clients died of an overdose in mid-September. he and his girlfriend had just had a baby late spring and they moved to florida to raise their baby daughter near their families.
he had tapered off methadone quite quickly and didn’t have an emergency plan. but he successfully got off and transitioned to his new life with no visible baggage and began the next chapter. he was 24, full of sweetness, exotic, and full of poise and good humor.
as is often the problem with addiction is that the root of the problem is not always easily detected. most likely he was craving and hurting and not talking to anyone about it.
this reinforces my resolve to do more to address this prescription drug and overdose epidemic. just how many losses are acceptable before something changes? before we change?