Father of late addict seeks to debunk perceptions

LYNN – William is smiling, dressed up in a suit and tie. Lydia is smiling, posing for a class picture. Jamie Byrne is smiling, sunning himself on a beach.All of them died of the same cause.But while William, Lydia and many others on the Remembrance Wall at the Healthy Streets Outreach Program office all “died unexpectedly,” according to their obituaries, Byrne did not.”All of the obituaries said so-and-so died suddenly or unexpectedly, and my son had been fighting for 20 years; it’s never sudden or unexpected,” said Pat Byrne, Jamie’s father.Jamie Byrne, 40, died last month after “a long battle with the disease of addiction,” according to his obituary. The obituary stayed on The Daily Item’s Most Read list for several days and was viewed 7,695 times, twice as many times as the next highest-viewed obituary during that period.Pat Byrne has been subsequently interviewed by The Boston Herald, WGBH, WCVB and The Daily Item about his son’s struggles and his family’s decision to acknowledge Jamie died of an overdose.But as the media and community attention demonstrates, the Byrne family’s decision was unusual.”We know the disease is blind to economics, but there is still a stigmatization ? we wanted to get it out there that we’re proud of our family,” Pat Byrne said. “We wanted to get a message out to parents of other addicts that they’re still good people.”The stigmatization of heroin use, however, does not just affect the feelings of families of heroin users.It is also affects users and people trying to prevent overdoses and combat heroin addiction. They’re using one of the most effective tools in preventing fatal opioid overdoses: nasal Narcan, an easy-to-use form of the drug naloxone that can reverse an opioid overdose.Healthy Streets outreachMary Wheeler of the Healthy Streets Outreach Program is at the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Saugus training nine people how to use nasal Narcan.Some of the attendees say they have family members who use heroin. Others say they simply wanted to get involved in combating what officials have called an epidemic of heroin overdoses.Only those in the latter group offered to speak with a reporter. It’s not surprising. As demonstrated by the names of “the many loved ones left behind” in obituaries, heroin addiction does not affect only a single person, but a family.Certainly, anonymity can also encourage people – particularly in smaller communities like Saugus – to get help and support. For example, look at the popularity of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.But a repeated concern in family support groups, on comment boards of media stories, and in public-health debates, is whether helping a user be safe (or to remain in the family home, go to a outpatient rehabilitation program or a methadone clinic) enables a user to continue his or her habit.Wheeler tells the trainees it is a question she is “always” asked, and her answer reveals why Healthy Streets distributes Narcan for free.”Someone with $60 is going to use $60 of heroin, someone with $20 is going to use $20 of heroin,” Wheeler said. “They are not going to spend money on heroin and Narcan.”Access can be difficultBut getting Narcan to those who need it, or family members of those who need it, can be difficult.The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 11 other states and the District of Columbia have amended laws to expand access to Narcan and provide immunity for certain offenses if a person calls 911 for an overdose, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Just this month, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and President Barack Obama have expressed support for having first responders carry Narcan.But Maine Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a bill to expand nasal Narcan access, citing concerns that access to the drug would reduce addicts’ incentives to quit. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says no studies support naloxone increasing risky behavior.Still, distribution of nasal Narcan in Massachusetts requi