Former Waterville mayor encourages state to address root causes of addiction
Many times the roots of addiction lie in poor coping mechanisms and some kind of childhood trauma. As the opioid epidemic continues to cut across the state of Maine, Karen Heck, the former mayor of Waterville, offered some powerful insights about how the state can better respond to Mainers who are suffering from addiction.
“Research involving a study of 17,000 patients privately insured through Kaiser Permanente found that in the middle-class population, two thirds had experienced one or more Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, such as abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, or living with an alcoholic.”
“The researchers were stunned to find that children who were exposed at an early age to four of the 10 types of ACEs were twice as likely to be adult smokers; 12 times more likely to have attempted suicide; seven times more likely to be alcoholic; and 10 times more likely to have injected street drugs. They were also likely to be suffering from diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and a plethora of other maladies. They died earlier as well.”
“Addictions are not overcome by willpower. Personal strength can help one stay on a healthier path, but for the most part willpower really only comes into play once treatment is accessed. If we are serious about treating addictions — whether to drugs, alcohol or food — it has to start with access to treatment.”
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To locate drug rehabs in Maine or read more about the former mayor’s plans to address the opioid epidemic in Maine, please visit CentralMaine.com