What Others Are Saying Reflections On Area’s ‘Addiction Crisis’

I suppose the most worthwhile way to begin this letter would be to say that, from the bottom of my heart, I am truly, deeply sorry. My family moved to West Ocean City during the summer of 2000 when I was just 7 years old. My older sister, my younger brother, and I all graduated from SDHS and have worked several-year tenures for some of Ocean City’s most prosperous businesses. I remember thinking that “Senior Week” was a time when elderly patrons flocked to the beach to celebrate retirement. I remember the silhouette of a stag that would challenge the sunset to the triumphant melody of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture every evening at Fager’s Island while I enjoyed root beer from a glass bottle. I remember the outrageous fun we would have every year at Ocean City Elementary on Field Day, the ACES days, the 100th day of school. I remember Shantytown. Now, at 23, those precious memories are some of the first things from which I draw solace when I find out that another one of my friends has died from a heroin overdose.

There have been about a half dozen casualties my age to heroin abuse this year alone. More than ever, I have seen my community bound tightly together by heartache, determined to defeat the monster that is wreaking havoc on our people. But this is exactly why I begin my letter with an apology; as a member of this community, I know that the first step I must take in contributing to the solution is taking personal responsibility for the part I’ve played in creating the problem.

The “monster” of which I speak is not heroin, it is not drug dealers, it is not the pharmaceutical companies; it is alcohol.

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