Tag Archives: substance abuse

Leonard’s Story

Leonard, a client of the substance abuse addiction program at the Jamaica Family Wellness center in Queens

Leonard, a client of the substance abuse addiction program at the Jamaica Family Wellness center in QueensIt may sound ironic, but The Child Center’s focus is larger than just children. Since children don’t grow in isolation, our goal is to help lift up whole communities, providing members of all ages with opportunities to reach their full potential. That’s why many of our programs serve not just youth, but adults, too. Our addiction treatment programs, like the ones at our Jamaica Family Wellness Center, help clients of any age develop the skills and confidence to find lasting recovery and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

 

Leonard is a man in his 60s who had been using and selling drugs since 1967. He’d been in and out of jail on drug-related charges for most of his adult life. His drug use and drinking became all-encompassing, causing him to lose contact with his family, including two daughters that he lost to the foster care system. Continue reading

Trump’s Opioid Declaration: Spotlighting the Crisis, But Also the Stigma

Trump declares the opioid epidemic a public health emergency

Trump declares the opioid epidemic a public health emergencyBy Elaine Schechtel
Director, Asian Outreach Substance Abuse Program

Drug overdoses, fueled by opioids, are the leading cause of accidental death for working-age Americans, killing more than 64,000 last year, and the rate of deaths continues to increase. So it’s good, and about time, that our president declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency last week. I’m in favor of any move that gets opioid addiction, and substance abuse in general, in the news and on people’s minds. But there were two missed opportunities in the declaration: one, which is rightfully getting a lot of press, is that the announcement did not include any requests for funding; and the other is the way Trump chose to frame the issue of addiction — as a moral failing and weakness of will power, instead of the disease that it is. Continue reading


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