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PARIS, Ky. (WTVQ) – According to the Bourbon County Health Department, two overdose deaths have already occurred in the region since early October. The county recorded eleven overdoses last month.
“Addiction is everywhere and that’s why it’s so important for us to break through these stigmas of addiction and to really be able to reach everyone in the community,” said Andrea Brown, director of health. of the Bourbon County Health Department.
Kentucky has also seen a 53% increase in overdose deaths in recent years.
“Year after year, Kentucky has seen a 53% increase in overdose deaths. So really, we’re in the worst place right now in terms of the local trend for us, ”said Navdeep Kang, Clinical Director of BrightView Health.
BrightView Health’s vice president of clinical services, Rhonda Roper, said lack of access to treatment, as well as the stigma surrounding getting help for substance abuse, can be a factor for those struggling and failing. not looking for help.
“Access to treatment can be difficult to find, having the ability to pay for treatment and the ability and resources to do so is difficult. But the most important thing is to be ready to let someone know what you are dealing with, and being able to just ask for help is very difficult because of the stigma of people with drug addiction, ”said Roper. .
Melissa Adams is from Nicholas County and says she has been addicted to drugs since the age of eleven. She says her turning point came while she was serving a second time in prison.
“So my son – he was five at the time – came to see me that Sunday for Mother’s Day. And he wanted to see his mother through the glass. And he couldn’t see me because I was in the hole, because every time I use it affects him. It hurts him, ”Adams said.
She says it’s possible to overcome addiction.
“Once a drug addict, always a drug addict. I don’t like this saying. Of course, we will always have this disease, we will die with it. But our way of thinking can change. We can be more positive and productive people, ”said Adams.
On Tuesday, BrightView Paris celebrated its first anniversary serving the Bourbon County community.
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