Hi, my name is Jamey Long.

I will tell you a little bit about myself.  I was a foreman for a roofing company for about 10 years.  In 2004 I fell of a roof and was injured very badly.  I had about 12 surgeries in the past 3 ½ years and was taking prescription pain meds for all of that time.  The longer I was on the meds the less they worked, so I would take more.  Before I knew what happened I got addicted to them.

I went through different doctors to get pills and each doctor was not aware of the other.  My entire life revolved around these pills.  I was slowly dieing because of the amount of pills I was taking on a daily basis.

During a routine visit to my family doctor I asked him for help to stop taking all these meds.  He gave me the number of Brian from the Rase Project and that is the first time I met my counselor, Brian.  Brian introduced me to Dr. Kirchner who prescribed Suboxone. 

Now, 6 months later, I spend all my time with my wife and kids and not counting pain meds or sleeping my life away.  I am slowly returning to work and feel as if I am in control of my life once again.  I continue with monthly counseling as well as staying in contact with Brian from the Rase Project and only take Ibuprofen since I will always have pain; but now the pain is managed the right way.

The hard work of Brian, Dr. Kirchner and the medication Suboxone has given me back my sanity, my family and my life.  I sincerely thank Brian for the compassion he has to help people like me and hope he can continue to help others.

Hello,

My name is Jen Long and I am NOT here to tell you that I was addicted to prescription pain medications because I am not an addict.   I am here to tell you the other side of the addiction; the side that most people don’t see or know about. 

After my husbands accident in 2004 were a string of several surgeries.  From the every first surgery even after following the very first prescription directions to a ‘T’ (which happened to be Lorcet) the addiction had started before we knew it.  Every time one surgery healed a new surgery was being scheduled and more prescriptions for pain medications were being written and a higher tolerance was being formed. 

It wasn’t until about 2 years after the initial surgery that I admitted to myself that he had a problem.  When my husband was more worried about counting his pills to make sure he had enough so he wouldn’t get “sick” (also known as withdrawal) was more important than knowing how my day went, what was for dinner or what the kids were doing, I realized there was a problem…a serious problem.  The medications were getting stronger and stronger; from Vicatin to Oxycotin to the Phetanyl patch…he was taking anywhere from 30-60 pills a day. 

I was living with a complete stranger, somebody who slurred when he spoke, stumbled when he walked and slept most of the day.  Coming home from work was depressing, stressful and very lonely.  I tried to understand his problem, but I never could.  How can he put his family through this he loved us?  I never understood because I was never an addict.  Watching somebody you love so much, whether it be a spouse, parent or even a child tears your heart out because nothing you do or say will make them stop…NOTHING!

Watching his breath slow, the color slowly leave his face, and watching the hands on the clock waiting to see if he would pull through was probably the worst memory I have through this whole experience, but even the overdose didn’t make him stop. 

Shortly after this incident while Jamey was at his regular checkup with our family doctor, Dr. Jackson introduced Jamey to Brian from the Rase Project who then introduced him to Dr. Kirchner and for the first time Suboxone was prescribed.  At first I was thinking not another prescription!  But after reading about the program and the rules he had to follow got my attention.  After the very first week the pain medications came to a complete stop…by week 2 the depression started to lift and by the end of the first month he started seeing clearly again.

It has been approximately 6 months since Jamey has been taking Suboxone and he is doing incredible.  Life has changed dramatically…no depression…no pain medications….a new outlook on life and even laughter is heard in our house.  Not only has Suboxone changed Jamey’s life dramatically but it has also changed my life as well and the lives of our children. 

Counseling is still a big part of our lives but we now can focus on our future and not his funeral.  Brian and those involved in the Rase Project has not only given be back my husband he but also my best friend.

The Rase project helped us and I hope they can continue to help others that are living in the same hell we once lived in.