People ‘don’t know where to go’ for opioid treatment, A&E’s ‘Dope Man’ says

Ryan got clean while in prison, telling the FOX Business Network’s Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.,” “I was sentenced to prison and unfortunately I had to kick in [a] prison cell.”

Ryan says his son Nick was in treatment six times before passing away from a heroin overdose, but that things may have turned out differently if they had access to the right resources at the beginning. As a result, Ryan is pushing for more transparency on what treatments are available.

“The problem is people don’t know where to go for treatment. They get on the Internet, they search a site, they find something but that is drilled back to a specific treatment center.”

According to Ryan there needs to be “much more long-term treatment solutions” as well.

When Varney asked how long the patients are away, Ryan responded, “Could be 30, 60, 90 days minimum, but then it’s getting them into a long-term, sober living community.”

Ryan explained that time is of the essence as well when someone decides to seek help, because long waits for treatment could have dire consequences.

“It’s a matter of when someone wants help, you have a 12- to 36-hour window to find a bed for them. What’s happening right now, especially the people without insurance, it’s a 12- to 18-week wait. People are dying, too many people are dying.”

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