Addiction treatment center looks to fill critical gap in treatment

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The number of drug overdose deaths continues to climb to record levels despite more treatment options and facilities. According to the CDC, the number of drug overdose deaths was at over 100,000 in 2021, which is an increase of almost 30% over 2020. And the vast majority of those deaths were male. In fact, the latest numbers show it’s as high as 70% of the drug overdose deaths were men.

Those in addiction treatment say there is a missing link in the chain of treatment that needs to be filled and Team Recovery is getting ready to open a program to do that. It’s a long-term sobriety treatment approach that just may help.

Matt Bell is the CEO of Team Recovery and says “We’re going to start to look at every component of someone’s life and make sure that all of those pieces are getting better.” Bell who is in recovery himself says there is an integral step missing from all traditional treatment plans. “While we’re in treatment, we’re in a very secure and safe bubble. And now all of a sudden we go back out to the world again our intentions might be good and we might believe but when it all happens life on life’s terms. The stresses of everything that we did not experience for the last couple of months while we were in that safe bubble when that all happens at once, more often than not people are going to say I cannot handle this I want to use again.”

Bell says this center located at Talmadge and Sylvania will specialize in long-term treatment and support, focusing on building a life that some people haven’t had for many years because of active addiction. “Whether it’s vocational life skills. Getting a job. Understanding what that means on how to build a resume and how to go interview appropriately. How to improve your credit. How to budget your finances. So that you can go get a nice safe apartment. Those things take time.”

The center will serve both men and women in sobriety in hopes of making a dent in the skyrocketing number of overdose deaths. “They can stay here for as long as they need to. That might take 5 years for one person it might take 6-months for the next person.”

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