Lynn service a helping hand for recovering addicts

LYNN – Sitting in a dark alcove, a young woman covers her face with one hand as she tells her young son over the phone that she loves him and will see him soon. With tears in her eyes, she hangs up the phone and sits down at a kitchen table, gazing out at the setting sun.”Without this program, I would still be using heroin and up to my old behavior,” said 31-year-old resident Tabitha, who declined to give her last name. “It’s helped me so much, but I’m still taking it one day at a time.”Tabitha is enrolled in the Ryan House residential program through CAB Health and Recovery Services, which helps men and women who suffer from addictions to drugs and alcohol transition back into healthy, productive lives.A total of 36 beds are available for men and women at the Ryan House, along with 25 beds at the Transition Support Services (TSS) post-detox program, both located on Green Street.On Wednesday, Lynn District Court Judge James Lamothe toured the halfway houses in an attempt to get a better understanding of how the programs work.Lamothe, who said he sees victims of drug and alcohol-related crimes on an almost daily basis at court, is currently in the process of referring a few people into the program. The tour, he said, helped him to be able to explain what they can expect.”Most of the people who end up in here are here because of substance abuse,” he said. “And at some point, if they’re going to reverse the cycle, they need help.”Nicole, 23, another resident of the Ryan House, admitted she was in desperate need of assistance when she first arrived.”When I started in the Danvers CAB program, I was in denial that I needed help, but after talking with groups, I became aware of my problem,” she said. “It was overwhelming to begin with?being here?but it’s such a positive program.”Addicted to drugs and alcohol since the age of 13, Nicole said her then 21-year-old boyfriend instigated her usage, which eventually spiraled out of control.”I’ve been clean for 35 days now, but it will always be in the back of my brain,” she said. “Drugs catch you and don’t want to let go, just like any other disease.”Residents of the homes live a sober, structured lifestyle, according to Program Director Bill Demars, who said each person is taught job and life skills, to build on their own sobriety and get ready to re-enter the mainstream community.Demars said an average of 350 people go through the TSS program each year, with nearly 175 people in the Ryan House following their completion of a drug or alcohol detoxification program.In addition to the Ryan House and TSS, an intensive outpatient program is offered at a Union Street location, along with street outreach and an overdose prevention initiative. For more information, call 978-968-1700.