Methadone article draws ire, praise

Response to my June 9 front-page story about disruptive client behavior at Acadia Hospital’s methadone clinic has been mixed but vigorous. I received dozens of e-mails and telephone calls about it, and for a couple of days the “reader comments” section of our Web site fairly bristled with polarized reactions.

For the most part, readers – including those who recognize the value of methadone maintenance therapy – cheered the clients who came forward with their concerns. Many clients and former clients felt the story had underplayed the extent of disruptions, and they had stories of their own to tell me – stories of drug deals and diverted take-home doses, of fighting and intimidation, of staff indifference and administrative complacency. Several mentioned their distress at seeing impressionable young children brought into the clinic and exposed to such behavior.

But many other readers took strong exception the piece. Most of these were also clients, and they spoke in passionate defense of the program that saved their lives. They said I was wrong to draw so heavily on the testimony of just four angry people, and that I should have balanced the story with clients whose experiences have been more positive. Some assumed that I am personally opposed to methadone maintenance as a treatment for opioid addiction – which, for the record, I am not.

Below, I’ve excerpted and paraphrased some reader comments, both positive and negative, from www.bangordailynews.com.

. It disgusts me to only hear the negative stories of the clinic. The methadone clinic has saved so many lives. There are many people who are in treatment and working the program correctly, who live a normal life, and who want to get off methadone. Before methadone maintenance became available, the other options of treatment did not work.

. What about the other 696 people that attend the clinic – did you talk with them? People get out of treatment what they put into it. Clinicians there are anything but apathetic: They care a great deal about this population. If Acadia chose to discharge every person who did something wrong, where would these folks go? Back out onto the streets – untreated.

. The clinic administrators claim people won’t come if security guards are present because some clients are ambivalent, but they are also ambivalent about staying in treatment due to the violence and drug dealing. The clinic should be working with the police to come up with solutions.

. I know firsthand the criminal activity that occurs as a result of the Acadia clinic and it is nothing to shrug off as the administration from Acadia has been doing from its onset. I’ve talked to the police about the problems there and they virtually have their hands tied.

. I know of cases where clients have abused their take-home doses and failed urine tests one after the other, yet they are still allowed to participate in the clinic. I also know that many times a family has contacted the clinic and told the doctor about a client’s illegal activities, including take-home doses being sold, and nothing was ever said to the client in their sessions nor were they held accountable. This program is costing Maine taxpayers millions of dollars and there is no accountability.

. I don’t understand these people who put down the methadone clinic. No one knows what it is like until you have been into drugs and you are trying to clean up. Yes, there is a lot of drug dealing that goes on there. Every day I go, more than 10 people come up to me and ask for drugs. You have to be strong and tell them that you don’t do that anymore, but most times that doesn’t stop them from asking you again.

Earlier this week, I met 28-year-old Jason M. of Bangor for coffee at a local restaurant. He told me that he’s a recovering heroin addict, so sick for a while that he used water from public toilets near the Boston Common to prepare his intravenous doses. Over the years, he has sought treatment in many different drug programs. He has had periods of staying clean for weeks or months, but it never stuck.

Finally, 21/2 years ago, Jason contacted his estranged mother for help, moved from Massachusetts to Maine and ended up at Acadia. He has been clean ever since, he said – and Acadia’s methadone program is the main reason.

Jason said the claims of the clients who brought their concerns to me were overblown. Illegal and illicit drugs are everywhere, he conceded, and when you bring close to a thousand addicts into a small space such as the clinic, there’s bound to be some deal-making and confrontation. But the clinic staff keeps such incidents to a minimum, he said, and there’s no reason for clients to feel threatened or intimidated.

Jason said recovering addicts have short memories.

“People forget where they came from,” he said. A long wait for a dose of methadone or some disrespect from fellow clients is nothing to get upset over when you’re lucky enough to be off the street and in treatment.

Those who have used the program successfully to get clean shouldn’t then turn around and criticize it, Jason said. “Acadia didn’t go knocking on their door. They went to Acadia for help, and they got it.” He said clients who have made progress in their recovery should be willing to work in group settings, even if those groups are disruptive, to offer guidance and inspiration to those who are just beginning the journey.

I always appreciate the opportunity to meet face to face with people like Jason – or like Danielle Eames-Powe, one of the methadone clients I interviewed for the recent story – or the many others who have spoken openly with me about their circumstances. They speak for the thousands of young people in our state who struggle every day to overcome the consequences of their mistakes and get on with their lives. I am always inspired and humbled by their commitment to the monumental work of recovery. That their efforts should be made more difficult by public stigmatization, lax government oversight or institutional indifference is a shame.

Meg Haskell writes about health care and edits the Finding a Fix column for the Bangor Daily News. Please join our weekly conversation about Maine’s substance abuse problem. We welcome stories, comments or questions from all perspectives. Letters may be mailed to Finding a Fix, c/o Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04401. Send e-mail contributions to column editor Meg Haskell at mhaskell@bangordailynews.net, or phone her at (207) 990-8291.