While the holiday season is filled with joy, traditions, and loved ones, for many it is also a difficult time of the year. Those struggling with addiction and substance use disorder may be away from family while in treatment, or not have family in their lives at all. It is also a time when people may return to use. Being in a global pandemic only heightens the struggles, as there are new and burdening anxieties, isolation, and limitations brought on by COVID-19.

Patrick Sugrue, program analyst for Operation HOPE (Heroin-Opiate Prevention Effort), wants to remind anyone who may be struggling now that we’re here to help. “We care about them. Recovery is possible even during these current unstable times. We’re here for them.”

For Patrick, these are the supporting words that guided him through his own addiction and recovery story, but it was only in hindsight from a years-long journey that he has come to fully appreciate it. After years of substance use, starting in high school and spiraling to an uncontrollable windfall post-college graduation, his family finally packed up his bags from their Massachusetts home and sent him south for a 28-day recovery program in Florida. From what at first felt like something he had under control (“I told myself I could stop at any point if I wanted to”), Patrick’s addiction to opiates and heroin wasn’t simply wiped clean after a month in treatment.

One month in Florida turned to five years and in his words, you name it, and he went through it. Experiencing homelessness, a codependent relationship, the birth of his daughter, unemployment, a difficult and painful divorce— “and I heard more traumatic stories in treatment of what others had gone through,” he said. Finally, Patrick concluded that the only pathway he could see himself on if he stayed there was death or jail. So, he called his brother for help.

Patrick’s story is not out of the ordinary. He grew up in Massachusetts, the oldest of four siblings. His father was a state trooper and his mom, an ER nurse. Seeing them in these service professions, he aspired for a career in the same vein. Patrick played football, had a strong social circle, did well in school, and graduated from a prominent liberal arts college. All the while, he was drinking and using, but admits that the structure and routine of sports and school kept him in check. “Substance use disorder can affect anybody and everybody,” Patrick said. “We need to end the stigma and judgment associated with it, because it is a disease. It is not a moral failing or a matter of choice, and the science is there to support that.”

Having professional backgrounds on the matter, Patrick’s parents knew and spotted the signs of addiction in him. He had lost weight, went through multiple legal involvements, and faced financial problems. His social circle had dwindled and there were relationship complications. Any time his parents would ask, he told them he was fine. “I know they wanted to believe it,” Patrick said. “They hoped it was true.” Looking back, he now sees the full scope of how his using affected his family – the impact wasn’t just on himself as he had thought at the time. “I’m so lucky to have had the family support, love and care, and the financial support and insurance to seek treatment,” he said.

After calling his brother for help, in 2017 Patrick relocated to Boston, then to New Hampshire, and ultimately Portland for multiple treatment placements. Detox was an essential first step, and he’s grateful to have had the supportive setting of a treatment center to immerse himself in recovery. But it was by no means easy — relapse was a part of his recovery story just as it is for many. Finally, though, pieces fell into place when he went to Milestone Recovery in Portland. “It was a shaky first month, but then it clicked,” Patrick said of the experience. “I made friends there and they looked so content. I wanted what they had.”

Eventually he was going to regular meetings, volunteering at Preble Street soup kitchen, and had joined a sober softball league. He immersed himself in exercise and a focus on wellness, which was a huge part of his recovery process. Patrick acknowledges how strong of a recovery community there is in Portland, and how it helped him to build connections with others who had shared life experiences. He also attributes much of his recovery and overall quality of life to being in a relationship with such a caring, understanding, nonjudgmental, and supportive partner. “Now I don’t think about using, the obsession has been lifted,” Patrick said. “But that takes time.”

Overcoming the hurdles as he has, Patrick is passionate about being a supportive resource for others navigating their own addictions. “I want to instill the hope and belief that recovery is possible,” he said. Now supporting the efforts of Operation HOPE for the Scarborough Police Department, he is doing just that each day.

Operation HOPE was established in 2015 in response to the significant uptick in Maine’s heroin and opiate crisis and rise in overdose deaths. The program serves as Maine’s first and most effective law enforcement or corrections-based program in facilitating immediate placement for Mainers suffering addiction into detoxification and long-term (30- to 90-day) residential treatment and rehabilitation programs. Its philosophy is that there is no single, “right” treatment methodology for addiction. From speaking to people in recovery and those who help them maintain sobriety, Operation HOPE believes the “best treatment” is the one which works for the individual and their particular circumstances, and recognizes a variety of pathways to recovery.

Patrick’s work supports Operation HOPE through multiple functions. He collects data on placements, hoping to display the efficacy of the program so it will be more widely adopted across the state. He follows up with previous HOPE participants, dating back to when the program began in 2015 and up through this summer, to see where they are in the recovery process. He also meets people who drop in for support. “I enjoy these one-on-one interactions the most,” Patrick said. “It takes courage for someone to walk into the police station and say they need help.” And the program benefits from being within the Police Department, he said. It’s improving the stigma between police and the community. He told of one person who mentioned how the police chief always shook his hand whenever he saw him. “He treated me like I was a valuable person, and I’ve never felt like that before.” Operation HOPE is changing the narrative.

When Patrick thinks back on his journey to the place in his life he is in today, he can’t help but feel grateful for everyone who guided him along the way. For anyone currently struggling with substance use disorder, Operation HOPE is a safe community service extending support with no judgment and access to resources for detox and recovery. Learn more at https://operationhopemaine.weebly.com/.

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