Neal Embry
Thomas Dooley speaks to a crowd about the opioid crisis at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church for the Freedom from Addiction Coalition Breakfast on April 4.
In 2017, Dr. Thomas Dooley lost his 24-year-old son, Thomas, who died after becoming addicted to fentanyl and heroin.
The younger Dooley had developed anxiety associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and gradually became hooked on opioids, which ultimately led to his death.
Dooley shared his story with a crowd gathered at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church for a breakfast hosted by the Freedom from Addiction Coalition, which also provided training for Narcan, which helps reverse an opioid overdose, as well as organizations able to help those who are addicted.
After his son died, Dooley, a biomedical scientist, realized he wanted to do more to help families in the future, and started working to create alternatives to opioids. Dooley explained some of the issues with common opioids to the crowd, including benzodiazepines, which are used to treat those suffering from anxiety. Those suffering from anxiety are some of the highest users of opioids, Dooley said.
Benzodiazepines may help treat anxiety, but they can also have a high rate of dependency. Dooley has recently created a new drug, PanX, which combines beta blockers and motion sickness agents to create a drug which both treats anxiety and, as it’s not a controlled substance, does not lead to an addiction, Dooley said.
However, Dooley also began volunteering at The Lovelady Center in downtown Birmingham, helping women who have recently been released from prison and need treatment for addiction. The pastor at the ministry heard Dooley give his son’s eulogy at the funeral and invited him to speak to the women at the center.
“There was no joy in my life … except [at the center],” Dooley said.
Dooley said when he speaks to the women, he’s not only telling them he wants to help get them sober, but also to help them be better mothers and daughters. The women at the center also receive educational and employment opportunities, and Dooley said the center is proof that faith-based rehabilitation can work.
There are several options to help combat the opioid crisis, Dooley said. Those solutions include new pain medicine which treats pain without causing someone to become addicted, new anxiety medication, like PanX, which can replace addictive benzodiazepines, as well as rescue antidotes, like Narcan, which is growing in its availability across the country.
“I’ve seen the benefits of Narcan in my own family and those of you who have not been trained in Narcan, please do so,” Dooley said.
Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said his city’s police received the product and subsequent training, and used it just three days after the training to save a woman’s life.
Dooley said counseling and recovery services are also needed, as well as work to cut the supply of especially dangerous drugs like fentanyl and heroin.
Lastly, Dooley said parents should have more rights to address their adult children’s health if they have become addicted. Parents should have the right to speak with healthcare professionals about their child’s problems without being inhibited by HIPAA, Dooley said.
Dooley urged those in the audience to be proactive in combating the opioid crisis.
“We can be redemptive; we can be proactive,” Dooley said.
