Pulling up his sleeve, George Clayton reveals the impact of years of addiction that’s torn apart his arm and his life.
“This is where the scar tissue is, this is from injecting over and over and over,” Clayton said, an exhausted tone in his voice and stark look of defeat in his eyes.
Clayton is one of thousands of Nova Scotians battling addiction.
READ MORE: Naloxone kits, used to reverse opiate overdoses, hit streets of Halifax, Cape Breton
For him, the constant struggle has always been with opioids.
Opioids are a class of drugs that are typically prescribed for pain management. They include hydromorphone (Dilaudid), oxycodone (OxyContin) and morphine.
Methadone is used as a substitute drug in the treatment of opioid addiction and is used as a tool to manage addiction.
READ MORE: Methadone therapy cuts HIV-infection rates: study
The withdrawal effects of opioid dependency without methadone are severe.
“It’s mentally and physically debilitating, an obsession of the mind. It’s absolutely horrible and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” Jill said, a 32-year-old client of Mainline Needle Exchange, who’s been battling addiction since she was a teenager. She asked that her last name be withheld.
Despite the rising increase in opioid addiction, access to treatment is limited due to funding.
Over 65 people are waiting for treatment at Direction 180, a community based methadone program.
The Mainline Needle Exchange has also had to reduce supplies and rural outreach services.
Former Mainline client turned outreach worker, Natasha Touesnard, says the vital services have the ability to transform lives.
“Mainline and Direction 180 saved my life. They gave me life-saving treatment and they were an open door for me to get me hooked up with other services such as housing, detox and methadone,” Touesnard said.
She adds there’s a growing concern that increased drug monitoring of prescription drugs is causing addicts to seek stronger forms of opioids such as fentanyl.
Fentanyl use has exploded in Canada over the past year and is responsible for hundreds of overdose deaths.
READ MORE: Fentanyl in Canada will get worse before it gets better: RCMP report
Halifax Regional Police Chief Jean Michel-Blais addressed addiction as one of their biggest challenges during a presentation to the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on September 23.
“Over a five-year-period, from 2007 to 2011 alone, we had 357 deaths from prescription drug overdoses. That doesn’t include illicit drug deaths,” Chief Michel-Blais said.
Touesnard says current funding for harm reduction services at Mainline doesn’t meet the rising increase in addiction.
“We need to be able to help these people because if not, it’s going to have fatal consequences,” Touesnard said.
The harm reduction agency is holding a public awareness day on Friday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.