Am I going to use today?

Even though Northern Illinois is on the better side of the opioid epidemic, the mistakes from that time are still felt throughout the area

Ethan Rasmussen, Staff Writer

January 27, 2025

Opioid addiction can happen in any place to any person, and its costs can be devastating. In the past few years, McHenry County has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, but has the services in place to prevent tragedy.

Rose Wenckebach

Drug addiction has many different faces, names and looks. It can be a man or woman, adult or child. Drug addiction can look like anything. One of the worst parts about it, however, is that to the average person, it looks like nothing.

Nearly one in twelve people are addicted to drugs in the United States. Whether it is alcoholism, addiction to opioids and opiates, a “casual” smoker, or even somebody looking to ease their chronic pain. It feels like finding someone living with a drug addiction is like finding a needle in a haystack, but in all reality, that person may often be sitting right next to you.

The opioid epidemic began in the 1990s where doctors and pharmaceutical companies over prescribed painkillers to the citizens of the United States. It has been an ongoing battle to fight back against this illness, and it has yet to be beaten. Nearly 107,000 deaths occured in 2023 alone from drug overdose, making it a leading cause of death in the United States.

“I grew up in the northwestern suburb restaurant industry,” Dominic Roman, Admissions Coordinator at Northern Illinois Recovery Center says. “I had my son when I was 22, and I wasn’t clean until he was eight and a half years old, and I hate to say I think I tainted a few core memories of his. Last month I became 5 years sober after 15 years of active use, and I have definitely caused a good amount of pain, but all I can do is look forward.”

Addiction can stem from many different scenarios. Mental health and bad influences are just two of nearly infinite reasons why some people may become addicted to drugs. However, one thing remains clear, and that is that no two stories are the exact same but often more similar than meets the eye.

“Oftentimes, those that are addicted see themselves as ‘Terminally Unique,’” Roman says. “It means that each person attempts to justify their use in their own lives.”

This terminal uniqueness is the mind’s last resort to justify the addiction they may have. They may often justify by trying to explain how hard their life is, and how if they work hard, then they get to play hard as well. It does not always stem from finding enjoyment however. It may also be a release that those living with an addiction do not feel like they have access to in other ways. The biggest thing to understand, is that even though the drugs may act as a release, it does not act as a cure to the problems in their life.

“Drugs are an exponent,” Roman says. “They can make the good feelings feel even better, but they can’t make the bad feelings good. It only makes them worse. It is just something that is hard for those living with an addiction to understand.”

“Addiction is like a dish with many recipes,” Roman adds. “You can take some things out and throw some things in it, but no matter what, it boils down into the same thing, an addiction.”

Awareness

Despite drug addiction being something that only those living with one can ask for help for, there are still things that those who want to help can do. It starts with understanding, destigmatizing language, and listening.

Oftentimes those who are willing to ask for help feel like they are not listened to. Whether it is an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, or a recovery home, listening is the first step. By not listening it discourages the people that are at their most vulnerable to quit trying, and simply continue on with their lives.

“One thing I have learned is you can not make forever commitments,” Roman says. “I would often talk with my dad, and one time I had woken up in the middle of the night, stressing about all of the decisions before I had even rolled out of bed. When I told my dad, he told me, ‘You only have to make one decision today, and that is ‘Am I going to use today?’ Everything after that becomes opportunity”

Roman now works as the Admissions Coordinator to Northern Illinois Recovery Center that is based out of Crystal Lake, Illinois. He uses his past experience to help aid others living with a similar affliction.

“This job allows me to gain perspective on the many different ways addiction can be shown. No two paths are ever the same when it comes to recovery from addiction,” Roman says. “I took a pay cut to help people recover and I put in the effort because it is the right thing to do.”

Despite addiction still being more prevalent than one would expect, McHenry County is handling the issue of addiction and overdose well. Numbers have seen a constant decline over the course of the last couple years, showing a decrease in accidental overdoses.

Even though these trends are dropping, there is still much work to be done regarding education and safety with drug addiction. The McHenry County Department of Health has assisted in leading the charge in order to safen individuals who may be addicted to a substance.

Other organizations like Live4lali based in Arlington Heights, IL, or the Substance Abuse Coalition have worked with each other and the Department of Health in order to provide different free, anonymous treatments/prevention in order to prevent possible overdoses. Different items like Fentanyl testing strips and Naloxone have helped reduce overdose mortality rates.

“A big part of the fight against the opioid epidemic is our nursing division,” Nick Kubiak, Community Information Coordinator for the Department of Health says. “Their role is to provide overdose protection with things like education activities. They go around to different schools, businesses, and organizations to provide Naloxone training. It doesn’t take much time at all, only around 30 minutes. We had 395 education activities in September 2024, and 486 activities in October 2024. Overall it is mainly narrowing down to the areas that need it most.”

Education

One of the strongest weapons against addiction is education. Many times people are undereducated on the effects that certain substances may have on their body. By providing more knowledge, maybe some people will think twice before making a bad decision about drugs.

“Society has a different perception of the harm that Marijuana can do,” Maura Reid, Prevention and Wellness Coordinator at MCHS Upper Campus says. “I think there’s this perception that it is okay for Teenagers to do things like this. There is so much information on social media that may not be accurate. There is definitely information out there that is truthful and helpful, but I think that some people are going to search out false information just to validate what they want to hear.”

Undereducation has been a big issue in the past when it comes to illicit substances. The opioid epidemic being the most famous case of all. If we can keep improving our knowledge in small ways, then eventually we can make this information common knowledge.

This odd ideation of illicit substances has been common in pop culture recently. Whether it is a Tiktok talking about “popping a Zyn” or something even older like drinking lean, it is important that especially teens are informed on many of the issues that these procure.

Regardless of how someone living with an addiction may have gotten there, it is important to be sensitive to their situation and destigmatize drug addiction. The education that many local organizations are attempting to extend to the public have helped immensely in both reducing addiction and overdose mortality. If we can continue this trend, the hopes are that drug addiction will become very few and far between. Even though substance abuse will always exist, so will the ways that it can be solved.

The Stigma

Even though the only war for those living with a drug addiction to get better is starting with wanting help, there are still many things their loved ones can do to help make the transition easier.

Lots of stigma in drug addiction comes from the language used. There are many resources that somebody can look at, but one of the most important ideas is to talk about the disorder, not the person. Being kind in ways of talking to someone suffering from a substance use disorder is a great first step to providing a comfortable environment for individuals to reach out for help.

Another big idea that is not common to many is all about forever commitments. Forever commitments can extend to anything that tells somebody that has a substance disorder, or somebody that used to, about something they can or can not do for the rest of their life. These forever commitments put unneeded stress on the individual to keep their promise. The best way to deal with it is instead as something that is day by day. Taking it slowly is the best way to deal with substance abuse.

Substance abuse is deeper than one story, one scenario, or one example of recovery. The story may never be fully told, but it is important to start learning about better ways to understand those living with an addiction. By taking the time to destigmatize our language, better console our loved ones, or simply listen more to a story, it may be easier to help than we think. Substance abuse is on the downtrend in the Northern Illinois area, but it is important to know that we can not give up when we are starting to win.

Continuing education and continuing trying to understand is the best way for us to keep winning this fight. Even if it is never officially over, we can always keep trying to end it.

Though addiction has many ingredients, it always makes the same dish. Though it may be a dreary time, it is a time of opportunity. The mistakes that they made do not define these individuals, and it often shows in their attempts to release the grip that their substance may have on them. Even though the path to being addiction free is not a straight path, it is not too hard for anyone.

The hardest part of the day is the first question, “Am I going to use today?” Everything after that is an opportunity.

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