How did it come to be that this medium-sized, spread out, resort town of 25,000 year round residents has turned into a stronghold of recovering addicts in the fight against the suburban opiate crisis?
I haven't a fucking clue, but I'd be happy enough to describe it, and maybe even shed some light on this interesting demographic.
You see, unlike your average, once-addicted millenial that you'd usually find in one of the massive 12 Step meetings here on any given night, I grew up here. And, when I finally crawled out of the burning wreckage that was my part in this new "opioid epidemic", the fact that I was in the minority among other native Falmouthites (I have no fucking idea if we're actually called Falmouthites, but it sounds good) surprised the hell out of me. I guess that's because growing up here, I always saw this place as sleepy and uptight. So imagine my shock, in the dead of January, walking into a church that I'd barely ever even noticed before, and stumbling upon well over a hundred loud, happy, energized, youthful, somewhat reckless, recovering drug addicts.
Part of my job at a local recovery resource center is documenting local resources for treatment and recovery. According to my latest count (and this can change weekly), there are 43 sober houses operating in Falmouth, and the bordering towns of Bourne and Mashpee. There are also two halfway houses, two thirty day rehabs, and a detox. Not to mention a plethora of outpatient and mental health services. I've estimated that there are currently ~1,700 addicts and alcoholics in recovery among Falmouth's year round population, or around 6%.
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ReplyDeletemy mother who was an alcoholic told me back in the 50`s that many folks after being divorced [ alcohol sometimes being the reason ] would move to the cape to try to capture the fun times they had vacationing here in their youth. of course they brought their problems with them and gave it to their off spring .
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