NORTHAMPTON — Matthew Brace said he has spent a third of his life coming and going from jail.
Brace, 30, who last lived in Holyoke, describes himself as a recovering heroin addict who has been locked up for the past year and a half. He said he still wakes up in his cell at the Hampshire County House of Correction at night, sweating and angry because the dreams about getting high just won’t stop.
He was among a group of more than a dozen men — all of whom are incarcerated drug offenders who will soon be released — who sat before members of Hampshire County’s Opioid Task Force on Monday morning to learn about overdose prevention and treatment resources to prepare for their lives outside a jail cell.
The sessions, offered once a month, are led by law enforcement, clinical support staff and medical officials who offer instruction about avoiding relapsing and repeating offenses.
They talked about treatment programs, life-planning resources and the Massachusetts Good Samaritan Law — which spares those under the influence of drugs or alcohol from prosecution if they are seeking medical help for someone who is overdosing.
Brace stared intently from his seat at the meeting table toward the front of the visitors’ room as the people leading the program told the inmates that the odds were stacked against them — that addicts are particularly at risk of dying from an overdose their first three weeks out of jail, because their tolerance to opioids, at least since being locked up, has dropped significantly.
“We’re trying to reduce people’s return to jail. We’re trying to reduce overdose and death,” said Lisa Wall, an intensive outpatient program coordinator for Clinical & Support Options, an agency in western Massachusetts which provides outpatient substance abuse services. “A lot of my guys, they come out of jail and, within a second, they’re using.”
Brace wasn’t shaken, and in fact, he said after the session that he was more ready than ever to embrace sobriety.
It was going to be hard, he acknowledged — after all, every single one of his immediate family members are addicts as well. Brace said his father is an alcoholic, his older brother is incarcerated, and his younger brother is seeking drug treatment. And Brace added that his mother was a heroin addict before she died nearly 10 years ago.
But Brace has his faith, something he said he found solace in during his time in jail. A mural depicting God’s outstretched hands covers the wall at the back of the presentation room.
“The only way to beat it is to admit you’re powerless. My disease is not who I am,” he said. “I’ve been lucky. I haven’t OD’d yet — but luck will only take me so far.”
Inmates were shown packages containing Naloxone — an opioid-reversal drug typically administered during an overdose. The drug, commonly referred to as Narcan, is taken through the nose, like a spray.
The men passed around the packages and took turns assembling the nasal syringes. They are given their own packages upon release.
“People want the chance to love you,” Wall said to the men. “To have you in their lives again.”
Mindy Cady, assistant deputy superintendent for the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office, implored the inmates to give their all in using these programs. Yes, it was going to take commitment, and yes, it was going to take time, she said, but it was better than being in jail.
“Take advantage of it,” Cady said. “This is about you and your life.”
At the end of the session, Brace walked over to the back wall, God’s hands extended above the people shown in the mural.
“All of this,” he said, pointing to the mural, “this is me inside.”
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.