Delaware County program tackling opioid addiction

Wednesday nights bring a group of recovering heroin and opioid users together at one of MVP Recovery's eight homes in Delaware County.

Joe McCloskey has been clean for 80 days.

"When I was about 16 years old, I blew my knee out playing ice hockey. I was probably overprescribed with Percocet," said McCloskey. "It's crazy. After the first time I took one, as prescribed, I loved it."

The 28-year-old would spend 12 years years addicted and on a downward spiral.

"Honestly the best thing my family ever did for me was say you got to go. It put me in a position to go get help," said McCloskey.

Leading him to rehab, and then MVP Recovery.

"We focus on how are they going to live their lives clean and sober moving forward. When individuals go back to school, they start working, they start becoming financially responsible," said Founder Brian Corson, MVP Recovery House.

Of last year's 182 drug-related deaths in Delaware County, 121 were heroin-fentanyl related.

"Due to prescription drug use, heroin has made its way into any town USA," said Corson.

The program has expanded from six recovering addicts to 50-plus, with a more than 90 percent success rate.

"Is the hope your houses will one day be empty?" asked reporter Christie Ilteo.

"The reality is that's never going to happen, but the hope is individuals come in here, and they can recover, and they can move forward, and they can become positive members of society," said Corson.

McCloskey says the hardest part of recovery is mentally weening himself off opiods.

He says he hopes the president's task force will focus on recovery and treatment, and less on criminal punishment.

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