Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc. shed light on the epidemic plaguing the community when it presented Prescription Drug Abuse: The Cost of Getting High at Connellsville Area Senior High School. The program featured drug treatment specialists, law enforcement officials, legal experts, medical professionals and recovering addicts. Fayette County Coroner said the number of deaths caused by drug addiction has tripled in the county during the past few years. In neighboring Westmoreland County, the number of deaths from drug overdoses has quadrupled.

Physicians are prescribing opiate medications, including Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin, for pain relief, and some of these patients become addicted to the drugs, Reilly said. When the addicted patients can no longer receive prescriptions from their doctors, they seek out painkillers on the streets, and in some cases, switch to heroin, which is much cheaper. A stamp bag of heroin sells for as little as $10 on the street, he said. Stamp bags are small wrappers that include catchy phrases to entice young users.

Seabrook is committed to providing exceptional addiction treatment through the healing of body, mind, and spirit. We encourage all patients o restore their lives by embracing a way of life based on the 12 step principles of recovery. Our program provides addiction treatment, monitoring and educational services to adult women and men. Patients will remain living in their homes while attending our outpatient programs. Patients are also responsible for their own transportation to and from the facility. www.sharecounseling.org