BANGOR – Eastern Maine residents whose lives are affected by substance abuse may want to register for one of two presentations about medication-assisted recovery.

Lisa Torres, a New Jersey-based lawyer specializing in civil rights and health law, an advocate for consumers of addiction treatment, and a nationally recognized expert on medication-assisted treatment, will make two presentations in Bangor on Tuesday, April 15. Both events are free and open to the public.

In addition to her professional expertise, Torres also speaks from her personal experience as a person in long-term recovery from addiction to heroin. Methadone treatment remains an important element in maintaining her healthy lifestyle, she said in a telephone interview Friday.

“Addiction is a disease and public health issue,” Torres said. Because opiate abuse permanently alters brain chemistry, efforts to simply stop using the drugs often fail, she said. That’s where physician-prescribed medications such as methadone or buprenorphine – sold as Suboxone or Subutex – can make the difference, substituting for heroin, morphine, oxycodone and other opiates.

But people who are, like her, successful in reclaiming their productive lives typically don’t advertise the fact that they use medications to help them stay away from more destructive drugs, Torres said. The result is that the public often associates the clients of methadone clinics and other treatment programs with impaired judgment, anti-social behavior and criminal activity.

That misperception discourages people from seeking effective treatment for their addictions and also perpetuates social stigma and discrimination by employers, law enforcement officials and others with power over the lives of people in recovery, Torres said.

“There’s so much work to do, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “That work begins with education.”

The intended audiences for Torres’ two April 15 presentations are different.

From 1 to 3:30 p.m. April 15, Torres will be at the Council Chambers at Bangor City Hall. That event is being sponsored by the city of Bangor’s Department of Health and Community Services. Agency director Shawn Yardley said Friday he hopes it will be well attended by health care providers, law enforcement officials, employers of people in recovery and members of the city’s methadone advisory group.

With 2,000 area residents currently in treatment at one of Bangor’s three methadone clinics, Yardley said, it’s essential to counteract inaccurate perceptions.

“Is it working? Is it helping people lead productive lives?” he asked rhetorically. “I think it’s better for people to form opinions based on facts.”

Yardley said preregistration is not required but would be helpful for planning purposes. Call 992-4532 for more information or to register for the City Hall program.

Torres will speak that same evening at a public forum at Husson College. The event will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Center for Family Business on the college campus and is sponsored by the Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery, or MAAR. The evening program is for people in treatment as well as family members and others affected by another person’s substance abuse, addiction or recovery.

Torres also will be making a presentation at a MAAR forum the previous evening, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 14, at the Charles A. Dana Health Education Center at Maine Medical Center, 22 Bramhall St., in Portland. Pre-registration for the evening events in Bangor and Portland is required. Call 458-4366 for more information or to register.

mhaskell@bangordailynews.net

990-8291