Annie Kuster: “I thank the gentleman, Mr. Guinta, for his leadership and to everyone who participated tonight. The idea behind a…”

“I thank the gentleman, Mr. Guinta, for his leadership and to everyone who participated tonight. The idea behind a Special Order to put a face on this terrible heroin epidemic and addiction, generally, is to create compassion and empathy both among our colleagues and for those of you who may be watching at home. We need a societal change in the way we approach substance use disorder. We need to understand that this is a disease. I say at home, frequently, every time you hear the word ``addict,'' think of the word ``diabetic.'' We don't say to someone: We can't treat you because you have just eaten cake. Essentially, we say: That is a really hard disease for you to live with, and we want to help you. That is the message that we want to convey tonight to families in New Hampshire and all across this country. We want to be a part of the solution, and that is going to include prevention, education, treatment, access to treatment, expanding access to treatment, and then lifelong recovery. We know that the brain changes under the misuse of prescription drugs or opiates or heroin, and we need to have the patience to help people get through not just the treatment itself, but the recovery period. We need homes where people can live in a substance-free environment, and we need supports and mental health supports. We have learned that four out of five heroin users have a co-occurring mental health issue typically untreated and typically not getting any kind of help with that.…”