My Reflection on Andrew's Story
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Andrew grew up with a, what seems like, ideal childhood. Parents with good careers, did well in school, a bright future ahead. Back pain from labor intensive jobs and degenerative disk disease sent Andew seeking relief from the pain he experienced. For Andrew hydrocodone turned into oxycodone, that turned into doctor shopping for more meds, that lead Andrew to the streets seeking opioids. Andrew's mother passing away sent Andrew into a spiral. A friend told Andrew about suboxone, that he got from the streets due to lack of health insurance. Even with the assist of suboxone Andrew still found this solution to be lacking. Andrew knew he needed more help, a program in Biddeford was able to help Andrew despite his lack of health insurance. Ninety days of intensive outpatient therapy brought Andrew to where he was during the video interview, almost one year out from finally getting the help he needed.
Andrew's story is likely similar to so many others. Opioid prescriptions not closely monitored or regulated by any specific persons or governing bodies are unsafe and increase risk for misuse. The addictive nature of opioid medications is often not clearly enough emphasized to patients. I admire Andrew's transparency about his experience and recovery, and I hope he is still doing well on his journey. It sounds like Andrew got into a great program and got the help he needed. I wish there were more programs like this available, and I wish they were free and easily accessible, so others got the chance that Andrew got. We have an incredibly far way to go in regard to how we approach addiction and recovery.
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References
Hill, K. (2024), Interview with Andrew Allen [Video]. Canvas
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