One of my friends told me a story of hope a few months ago. The resistance by citizens to a methadone clinic in Dunmore made me recall it again.
Each day, our words and deeds have the ability to help or hinder. At times, it’s not clear which direction things will go.
My friend has had the opportunity to speak to students many times over the years, in the classroom and as a trained counselor. He speaks to young people in a way that makes them think. You can’t see their wheels turning immediately, but it’s little bits of information at a time. Food for thought. Nuggets of wisdom.
It’s always hard to tell if younger people are paying attention, and, in the case of my friend, it took several years for a sign of success. Many years after a student had left school, he got a note. The note indicated that the young student faced a moral dilemma. She had become pregnant and wasn’t sure what to do. It was something my friend had said in the classroom that made her decide to keep her baby. And, she said, thankfully so.
The term “invisible victory” comes to mind in a situation like hers. It’s a term I heard today from Debby Schmidt of the Boston based company Habit OPCO, which is trying to put a methadone treatment clinic in Dunmore. Debby told us today that Lackawanna County has the highest amount of heroin/opiate addicts not served at the moment by a methadone clinic in the entire state of Pennsylvania. It used to be Allentown, but they recently put in a clinic, leaving Lackawanna County to top the charts in the sad statistic of heroin addiction without methadone treatment.
Debby used the phrase “invisible victory” to talk about why so many voices of opposition are heard about the clinic, which would be put in the Keystone Industrial Park, and why there’s so much silence from those who approve. You see, it’s very difficult when you live in Dunmore to come to a meeting and talk about your grandson’s recovery. It’s unlikely a recovering addict wants to meet the scorn of neighbors by admitting something publicly that’s hard to admit to your family. Therefore, your victory is celebrated in the quiet of your own home with as few people as possible hearing your subdued cheer.
Two men called the show today to talk about their victories loud and proud.
One is a West Side resident who cleaned up out of town and became a business owner nd taxpayer. Another is my neighbor, a grandfather who was so strung out while visiting a new grandchild in the hospital that he passed out. His entry into the world of heroin? Vietnam. Now, he’s been clean for almost seven years. Another invisible victory.
Lackawanna County communities, anticipating the arrival of things they don’t want, have buttoned down their zoning and put up paperwork walls to things like methadone clinics. Dunmore is a possibility because their wall, while an obstacle, is shorter. The facility, Debby Schmidt explained, would look and operate like a doctor’s office. People would come and go without a lot of fuss. Crime often diminishes in areas where these clinics spring up. Dealers lose customers. Families heal. Invisible victories? You be the judge.
Corbett
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