State Highway Patrol now provides recovery resources

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – During the last few weeks of 2016 Ohio State Highway Patrol started trying to help people with drug or alcohol addictions receive some help.

According to Zanesville Post Commander, Lieutenant Matt Boyd the Ohio State Highway Patrol has started giving out pamphlets with information on Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and counseling services. Boyd said now when they find an impaired driver the driver will receive a pamphlet with recovery resources.

“We’ve been getting the information together I contacted resources in both counties to find out the availability of people at all hours, what types of programs they have and everything like that and we put together information,” said Boyd. “You know instead of just arresting someone and sending them to court we’re trying to educate people further and give them you know the information, the opportunities to make things better.”

Boyd said Ohio leads the nation in drug overdose deaths and with some of these users driving vehicles while impaired the Highway patrol will try to educate those they pull over to help them find help for their addiction.

“We hope that someone will take the opportunity to contact those resources and help themselves out or you know if they take it home and you know a family member sees that, maybe they’ll contact them then and coerce them into getting help and we can change somebody’s life in that way.

Boyd said each pamphlet has local recovery resources for Muskingum and Coshocton county.