Jennifer from East Providence started using uppers at 16. Then Percocet, then heroin. She struggled to shake her addiction, failing court-ordered counseling. Finally, she sought help at CODAC Behavioral Health in Cranston and broke heroin’s grip. Now 28, Jennifer is excelling in community college, with plans to attend law school.
Ordeals like Jennifer’s are too common. In 2015, overdoses were responsible for the deaths of more than 20 Rhode Islanders a month on average – more than homicides, car accidents, and suicides combined. Burrillville lost six residents to drug overdoses during the first three months of last year alone.
Opioid addiction is widespread, affecting people from all walks of life in every corner of the country. That’s why I worked for more than three years to pass the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was signed into law this month by President Obama.
