CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On February fourth, South Texas Substance Abuse Recovery Services will host a "champions" fundraiser to highlight over-dose and provide education on the serious topic.
For several months, our 3NEWS team reported many stories of how opioids have been circulating the streets around and turns out, the problem is still going on.
The STSARS exist to combat the ongoing issue and assist people who want help.
Overdoses have been happening very often in the Coastal Bend. Intake coordinator, Taze Vandever spoke with 3NEWS and said, "A couple of weeks ago, 12 people in Aransas Pass had fentanyl related overdoses."
CEO of South Texas Substance Abuse Recovery Services, Norma Paz told 3NEWS, "Many of our patients have lived a life of darkness. When they actually step into our doors, that tells us they're ready to make treatment work."
Intake coordinator Taze Vandever spoke with 3NEWS and said, "Most people don't realize, this is normal functioning. Most people with opioid use disorders wake up down here and they got to do whatever they have to do to function. Then they have to do that every three to four hours."
For many, the program is a last resort for people fighting their addiction. "Whether it be heroin addiction, or narcotic pain medication addiction abuse. They come into our clinic usually in very poor shape because they're struggling with these addictions that basically overwhelmed their life." Vandever explained.
The organization said the latest enemy on the street is fentanyl, which is now, in almost every drug. Vandever said, "Fent is 100x more potent than morphine, and 50x more potent than heroin. I'm getting calls all the time about people dying and they don't want to die. They're coming into the program; they're getting their substance abuse counseling and their lives are changing."
The two-week program has an 80% success rate.
STSARS allows second chances but they're asking the community not to give opioids or other drugs a chance to fumble your life.
"Opioids use disorder does not discriminate. It goes across all lines, genders, everybody. Anybody can become dependent on opioids." Vandever said.
Their services are open Monday through Friday. For more information give them a call at (361)-882-9979.
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