ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — According to a report by Project Opioid, overdose-related deaths in Florida are at their lowest point since 2018. That’s the good news. The bad news is that several counties in the Tampa Bay Area actually saw an increase in overdose deaths.
“Growing up, I had a lot of family members involved in addiction. So, it was never really a secret to have substances around me,” said Hailey Johnson, who affectionately goes by Halo. She told me she started drinking and smoking marijuana when she was 13 years old.
Eventually, she began experimenting with harder drugs. “I kind of always justified it thinking I’ve never got hooked on it. It’s not an everyday thing,” said Johnson. Eventually, she was introduced to Percocet and later found out that some of the drugs were laced with fentanyl. That addiction would hijack her life, and nothing else mattered but chasing that high.
“The first major sign was I got into a car accident and I was taken to the hospital to go do my drug of choice and with no consideration to anything that could’ve been really wrong with me,” said Johnson.
The latest numbers from Live Tampa Bay, an opioid research center, show the overdose rate in the Tampa Bay area is 9.75% higher than the state average and 50.5% higher than the national average, resulting in more overdose deaths.
“It’s not like addiction is alongside mental health. Its addiction is a mental health concern,” said Mario Moreno, a licensed addiction mental health therapist. Moreno said patients suffering from addiction don’t always get mental health support, even after be admitted to a hospital after an overdose. “But sending them on their way with a strong referral to outpatient care. Not just a pamphlet, but an actual appointment,” said Moreno.
“You know, the difficulties are just trying to figure out what fits. This individual might have insurance A, B and C, but a treatment facility over here will only take X, Y and Z,” said Dominic Grefsrud with Tampa Bay Recovery Center. Pinellas County has the second-highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the state and here at Tampa Bay Recovery Center, treatment includes identifying the underlying mental health issues of addiction through group sessions and other holistic practices. They also help clients with resume-building and job interviewing skills. “I get to see them nervous and unsure and then when they leave, they’ve found a new sense of life, a new sense of purpose,” said Grefsrud.
As for Johnson, well, she told me she’s doing great! She’s been clean from drugs for nearly eight months after completing a 70-day program at Tampa Bay Recovery Center, and she said having community has helped her tremendously. She’s also gotten into yoga. “Just learning how to calm my mind. Learning how to center myself and really look inward,” said Johnson.
If you or someone you know is living with addiction, here are some resources.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
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