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Lives in the balance
Getting users into treatment is the crucial step toward recovery
M elvy Ramos made a call about a dozen years ago that changed her life—personally and professionally. The North Bay woman reached out to Center Point DAAC (Drug Abuse Alternatives Center) when she hit what she bills as her “rock bottom.” Ramos, 38, became both a patient and eventually an employee for the Santa Rosa facility that focuses on offering comprehensive and compassionate treatment for substance abuse and addiction. That’s how much she believes in the mission of the center established in 1969 by a Sonoma County group concerned about the growth in drug abuse and led by Dr. Sushma Taylor. Drug addiction for Ramos started at 16 years old. “I remember it like yesterday. I was cutting classes and ended up in the woods [of Marin County],” she says. When someone whipped out a pipe and asked her to try it, she obliged. By Susan Wood
Reaching those who need help Ramos' story is not unique. Recovery professionals say many people
“It was all fun and games,” she says, adding her drug of choice was methamphetamine.
Her mother didn’t suspect she had a problem because she was an honor roll student, and Ramos demonstrated she had energy. “She was surprised the house was so clean,” Ramos says. But her drug use followed her into adulthood. The single mother of two lost nearly everything around 2012. Precious belongings dating back to her childhood were wiped away from a storage unit “in the blink of an eye.” She was also evicted from the hotel room she was living in, and says her roommate “tricked her” into signing over her car to the supposed “friend.” She was caught in a downward spiral. Facing the harsh reality of living on the streets, Ramos knew the situation would be devastating to her family. Despite her addiction, Ramos still had some fight in her. She maintained a job, so she felt somewhat functional. But she spent much of her money on drugs. “I didn’t think I had a problem,” she says. “It was like I was living two separate lives.” Something had to change. One of the managers at the Chipotle where she worked was a graduate of Center Point DAAC and suggested she consider the nonprofit’s treatment programs, saying the company would support her efforts. “I let them know my truth,” she says of her employer. And she entered into treatment at DAAC with the notion the life- altering experience would be short-lived. “I thought I was going to be there only 30 days.” It turned into a way of life. Her sobriety has lasted 12 years, and she now works at Center Point DAAC as an outpatient program manager. “This is not what I envisioned for a career,” she says. “I’m a new person.”
who enter treatment have spent years struggling with substance use before seeking help, often after reaching a personal or financial crisis point. Addiction and homelessness are often closely linked, with substance use disorders both contributing to and being exacerbated by housing instability and untreated mental health challenges. Despite a recent uptick in meth use, the dominant culprit of drug abuse today remains fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. The problem with the substance approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pain relief is it’s 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more than heroin, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Even small amounts can prove fatal. The problem is compounded when other drugs are cut with fentanyl, allowing the synthetic opioid to go undetected by users who may not realize they are consuming it. Across California and the nation, numerous overdose deaths have been linked to substances sold as cocaine, counterfeit pills and other drugs that were unknowingly laced with fentanyl. The increased availability of Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, has also become an important tool in preventing fatalities. Staff at Center Point DAAC recall a recent incident in which a man rushed into one of the organization's facilities seeking Narcan after believing a Melvy Ramos, outpatient program manager for women and children services.
Kai Denis and Alisha Pepper inside the MAT van
58 NorthBaybiz
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