In Maine, the media provides residents with daily totals of COVID-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths. As of Aug. 31, the coronavirus had claimed 132 lives, according to the Maine Center for Disease. COVID-19 entered the public domain in March as it swept across the globe from Wuhan, China. But another disease is claiming more Maine lives on a longer and more rapid basis. 

Drug overdoses have claimed the lives of 359 in 2020. Maine Director of Opioid Response Gordon Smith reported those grim statistics during the “132 Candles” event held Aug. 31 on the Boothbay Common. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Smith has attended few similar ceremonies due to state health restrictions. “I get the statistics every day, and yes, overdoses claim more lives than COVID-19,” he said. Smith went on to say that the difference in the number of deaths does not matter, for each loss of a life is tragic regardless of the cause.

Boothbay Region Community Resource Center and Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church sponsored the event in which participants lit 132 candles in remembrance of those who died in the second quarter of the year from overdoses. “132 Candles” is one of several events in the Boothbay region memorializing those who died from drug addiction in recent years. 

“This one is by far the largest and best organized,” Addiction Outreach Specialist Holly Stover said. “There is an increased isolation of people struggling with recovery in the past three months. We’ve seen an uptick in overdoses, and all of this is in recognition of those who’ve died since June.”

Since 2016, the Boothbay region has been home to a program seeking recovery instead of incarceration for those suffering from substance abuse addictions. Stover credited Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch with being a driving force in approaching the problem from a different perspective. “Our police department changed the culture in how law enforcement deals with the opioid problem. Instead of arresting them, (Hasch) tried to find them help.”

As Hasch was seeking an alternative way to handle the opioid crisis, he found assistance with the creation of local organizations who counseled people battling addiction. One organization is the Harbor Peer & Wellness Center which opened in November 2018. The center offers a wellness group providing help to addicts. Dylan Bredeau is a life coach at the center. At the ceremony, he spoke about what the center is, and isn’t. “We are not professionals and not experts in the field,” he said. “We are people battling recovery ourselves. We’ve been through the wringer a few times, and want to be there for people facing the same circumstances.”

Bredeau spoke about two friends he knew in Portland. Another speaker had a more difficult time finding sobriety. Brendan McLellan began using drugs as a kid before graduating onto opiates and heroin. In 2013, he was given an opportunity to seek counseling or go to prison. In 2017, his addiction resulted in a prison sentence.

“I was told I had two weeks to go to rehab or jail. I ended up going to prison, but that let me know there was help out there,” he said. “Luckily there are lots of programs and in prison I found the help I needed. It’s also important to live in a community willing to help. I’ve found when you leave your sobriety community then you struggle.”

Smith also reported that September was Recovery Month. He hoped events like “132 Candles” would one day lead to a time when communities only had to celebrate recovery due to no more overdoses.

This article has been updated from its original posting.