By SARAH CLARK
Staff Writer
In the United States, nearly 20 million people struggle with a drug addiction, according to the American Addiction Centers. Although efforts to reduce these numbers have occurred throughout communities, the number of people who cope with substance abuse is still overwhelming.
The College of Saint Rose held the “In Our Own Words” conversation on April 2, in MidKnight Eats. Two recovering addicts and a mother who lost her son due to addiction visited the college to educate students on the dangers of substance abuse and how their lives have been impacted.
“Drugs ended up as a problem but started as a solution,” said Daniel Dykes, a recovering addict from California. He recalls his experience as Dykes told the attendees how he would go to any length just to smoke and use drugs. “As long as I was using I only cared about myself,” said Dykes.
Before his addiction changed his life, Dykes was a football player for the University of Colorado Boulder, where he attended college on a scholarship. Early in his college career, Dykes began to get addicted to painkillers which then turned into cocaine and marijuana. He used daily, and soon began to perform poorly in classes. Dykes would use drugs during games at half time in the locker room, which eventually caused him to lose his scholarship and football career.
From his early to mid 20s, Dykes found himself in and out of rehabilitation centers. During this time, he was homeless and ended up using heroin while living in his car. Dykes then started to turn his life around in his late 20s, and has been sober since.
“Continuing to do drugs was not possible,” said Dykes. Today, he supervises Project HOST and Project Connect in Albany at St. Catherine’s Center for Children, a government-funded organization that helps the homeless. “If I didn’t drink and use on a day to day basis, I considered it a victory,” said Dykes.
Unlike Dykes, Kim Murdick is not a recovering addict, but watched her son, Sean, suffer from substance use disorder after being prescribed Oxycodone after breaking his arm working on a construction site. After he reached the end of his prescription, he was already addicted and began to buy drugs off the street.
“We thought we did all the right things,” said Murdick. She is a graduate of The College of Saint Rose with a B.S in Psychology, and raised her two sons in West Sand Lake, NY with her husband, Tim. Both sons had a typical upbringing, and the Murdicks were in shock when they discovered their son had an addiction. “Despite all of those things we were wrong,” said Murdick.
The Murdicks noticed their son was acting different, and soon he admitted his problem. Obtaining rehabilitation services were difficult, as her son was denied treatment by facilities and their insurance companies. Murdick’s son was finally approved to attend a rehabilitation center located in Florida. After time spent there, her son was finally starting to act like his former self. However, in late September of 2015, he relapsed. Unfortunately, the overdose took his life.
“There’s still shame and the stigma,” said Murdick. Now, the Murdicks strive to educate the public on substance abuse disorder by telling their story. They want to make people aware that recovery is feasible by providing resources and support, and that people should learn to be mindful of how to speak about drug addiction. “Treat people with the respect they deserve,” said Murdick.
Lori Teaney, a Youth Program Specialist for Youth Voices Matter NY, has not taken a self-prescribed drug since September 6, 2012. At her organization, she speaks up and is a voice for adolescents and others who have struggled with substance abuse. Teaney is an advocate for recovery resources that communities may not have, and her goal is to establish more programs in high schools and colleges.
“There’s not a lot of treatment options for the youth,” said Teaney. Starting from her freshman year of high school, Teaney excessively consumed alcohol and smoked weed. During the conversation, she opened up about the lack of emotional support from her parents, which only taught her to keep from expressing her feelings. Teaney used for six years, and began recovery at 21-years-old. “I’m able to make a bigger difference now,” said Teaney.
Students from Saint Rose who attended the conversation were able to take away valuable information about addiction and recovery. Alonzo Gardner, a junior marketing major, and Tyler Warren, a senior marketing major, were reminded of the impacts that frequently abused substances can have.
“In college you are so much more exposed to it than you are in high school,” said Warren. As a freshman, he experienced a roommate who would take a shot everyday before class. Warren knew that was harmful and could negatively alter his roommate’s future, so his friend group immediately had an intervention. “There should be more things like this going on in colleges, especially in high schools,” said Warren.
“You never really get anything out of it,” said Gardner. He is intrigued by the topic of drugs as they were created to help people, but are often used for bad reasons. “Drugs should be used in a positive, more effective manner,” said Gardner.
As attendees left MidKnight Eats, they are reminded through the stories of Dykes, Murdick, and Teaney of how important it is to be educated on drug addiction and the effects that come with it. “It makes me feel part of the community,” said Dykes.
