'It's not a moral failing': Tackling stigma is key to addressing addiction in Pueblo

Drug overdoses continue to be a serious issue in Pueblo and the state's largest network of outpatient treatment centers is marking national Drug Overdose Awareness Week by seeking to change the stigma and "being there to help."

The biggest obstacle to treatment for addiction, whether for opioids, methamphetamine or alcohol, is the stigma that comes with it. Addiction often comes with a fear of asking for help.

"It is not a moral failing or that you did something wrong. It is a chronic medical condition like diabetes and it deserves to be treated just like that," said Dr. Jeremy Dubin, chief medical officer for Front Range Clinic, which has 20 brick-and-mortar offices in Colorado, including one in Pueblo.

Dubin said drug addiction is a problem that knows no boundaries as it affects everyone from doctors, lawyers and construction workers to soccer moms and the unhoused.

Signs of overdose and how to help

For those who have not been exposed to addiction, the signs a person may be experiencing an overdose include the body going limp, fingernails or lips turning blue or purple, skin that is pale or clammy, inability to awaken and a lowered heartbeat.

"Call 911 immediately and if you have access to Narcan, activate it. The health department can train your staff and give you the Narcan," Dubin said.

Even teens are carrying Narcan, Dubin said, "and they should because over 100,000 people died in the country from overdose between April 2020 and April 2021. Librarians are using Narcan — at the Denver Public Library they used 64 doses in one month because people were going into the bathroom and overdosing in the stalls."

The problem is very real in Pueblo.

According to the Pueblo health department, 515 opioid overdoses were reversed in 2022 with the help of naloxone, which is better known by its brand name Narcan.

How the opioid crisis has evolved

Having spent more than 20 years in the field, Dubin said the opioid crisis started in the 1990s when doctors were told they were undertreating pain and were charged with trying better pain management methods.

"We were hoodwinked into believing opioids were safer than they were. We started early in 2000 dialing back the opioid prescriptions so people turned to heroin because they could not get oxycodone," he said.

"Then heroin went away and now they are turning to slicing pills with fentanyl, which is much deadlier," Dubin explained.

The status of the opioid crisis

Dubin admits, "We could be doing better to tackle the opioid crisis. There are not enough resources for treatment."

He said less than 1% of his medical training focused on addiction but over 15% of his patient population is vulnerable to, or lives with addiction. The consequences of untreated addictions "can be ugly," he said, including crime, lying, car accidents, lost jobs, failed marriages and more.

"Since COVID the increase in overdose mortality relapses is up 30% statewide and nationally. The pandemic forced a population that was already feeling isolated and desperate into a more desperate place," Dubin said.

However, in the past year, it looks like the trend "might be leveling out," he said.

Harm reduction programs

Addiction treatment can often begin with harm reduction programs that work with safety nets to decrease the chances of overdose and death. Through harm reduction programs, clients are encouraged to use safer methods of drug administration and reduce the size of doses.

"How do we see less mortality, less overdose, less conversion to HIV and Hepatitis? Get needles out of people's arms," Dubin explained.

"Yes, you want people to go on a trajectory to full abstinence, where drugs and alcohol are not having an active role in their lives. I wish it was that easy," he said. "However, the reality is that most people live in between and their recovery is defined in a lot of different ways. What we are going after is functionality and decreasing harm."

A changing approach to managing drug addiction

Dubin said Front Range Clinic was founded by doctors who make it their mission to break down medical obstacles for the treatment of addiction. The clinics are open to anyone who needs help and the goal is to act fast.

"We get folks in quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, because often the decision that is made to seek help is made at 2 in the morning," he explained. "The decision has to come without stigma, with your friends and family telling you it's OK not to feel OK."

He said medicine is not always the answer, but can help. Counseling, marital therapy and treatment of co-occurring mental health issues such as depression "helps level the playing field." It is an effort that must tackle, "physical, emotional and spiritual" needs, he said.

"We help people in need get access to treatment. We know that people with addictions don't just go into treatment and then it's all roses," he explained.

"They have a case manager, a crisis manager, a treatment team that can pull them in closer at times when they are having difficulty or flares in the level of severity, " Dubin said, pointing out the team can adjust accordingly when patients are experiencing lower levels of severity.

Honoring those lost to drug overdose

In honor of Overdose Awareness Day, those who have lost a friend or loved one to drug use are invited to participate in a ceremony to honor them. The event is set for 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association parking lot at 1249 E. Routt Ave.

Participants are asked to bring a photo of the lost loved one or an offering for the ofrenda. The event will include information on community resources, the Holy Cow food truck and music by Chela Lujan.

Pueblo's Front Range Clinic

Front Range Clinic's Pueblo office, 710 Hunter Drive, employs nine workers.

"The Pueblo clinic is one of our flagships and I could not be more proud of their commitment to patients, the collaboration, connections and teaching they do," Dubin said. "They absolutely help and if one person walks out of there having been treated, given kindness and empathy, it is worth all the time, effort and money."

To find out more about Front Range Clinic, visit frontrangeclinics.com or call 866-523-2391.

More overdose news: Data shows 515 overdoses were reversed in Pueblo last year with help of naloxone

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about addiction in Pueblo during Drug Overdose Awareness Week