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Opioid settlement: Help for those waiting in a system overwhelmed by need

A local recovering addict shares his story of struggle to find help, even when he sought it out.

AKRON, Ohio — As Cuyahoga and Summit counties decide how the multi-million dollar opioid settlement money will go to help local communities, Nate Zeber believes that there's no time to waste.

Zeber, 24, has been free from his opioid addiction for three years now. However six years ago, he tried opioid painkillers as a means to escape the troubles in his life.

"It was pure escapism," he recalled. "It was a way to forget what was going on in my life, and they [the pills] were easily accessible. They were everywhere."

After only two weeks, he realized that he was hooked.

"I felt the physical onset of withdrawal symptoms, and it was a three-year battle after that," he said.

Zeber said the pills were cheap and easy to come by. "The people who needed it, probably used it. A lot [of people] didn't. And those pills? They went straight into my pocket," he said.

The flood of opioids in America led to Monday's $260-million dollar settlement by major drug companies with Cuyahoga and Summit counties, which sued drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the opioid epidemic.

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When Zeber saw his life spiral out of control, hitting rock bottom in 2016 -- he reached out for help. However he found months-long waiting lists at the only two detox centers serving Akron. He described centers that were forced to determine who was "worthy enough" for help, in order to prioritize who would get help, and who would be turned away.

"That's how much the need is. They would do a six-month wait list, because you're not showing enough affirmative action as someone else who might be waiting," he said.

Summit county leaders will form a task force to determine where the settlement money will go. Meanwhile, Cuyahoga County Council proposed legislation Tuesday night that would put all the settlement money into a special fund, so that the cash can only be used for purposes related to the remediation of the opioid crisis.

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Zeber hopes relief comes quickly for communities, where there is no more time to wait.

"If we can bridge that gap of waiting, [there will be] a lot less death and a lot less crime," he said.

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