Treatment for heroin and opiate addicts is available in Connecticut, but those who work with users and their families say navigating the system can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming.

"Recovery is possible, and treatment is available," Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Connecticut has a "safety net" for uninsured residents that includes treatment from the minute the addict decides to stop, according to Delphin-Rittmon.

The department (DMHAS) funds 200 detoxification beds statewide and 1,200 residential treatment beds, she said.

Three hundred of the treatment beds are dedicated to those who are ordered into treatment through the court system.

One hundred of the beds are reserved for women, and some of the programs accept mothers and children.

Once users decide to stop taking the drugs, they go through withdrawal for three to 10 days, a process called "detoxification," or "detox" for short.

The recovering addict should then enter into a residential treatment program — Connecticut has 30-day and 90-day facilities — and then "step down" to lower level of care that might include living in a halfway or sober house and going to individual or group counseling.

At any given time, there are about 15,000 people who are using the maintenance drug, methadone, at 25 clinics across the state, Delphin-Rittmon said.

In New London County, methadone clinics are located in New London and Norwich and are operated by Hartford Dispensary.

The DMHAS has allocated $123,395,442 to substance abuse treatment and prevention, and the Husky D health insurance program, which is the state's version of Medicaid for the lowest income bracket, will spend an additional $80 million, according to DMHAS spokeswoman Mary Kate Mason.

Uninsured addicts who seek help, often through the state's 211 help line or their local mental health authorities — in southeastern Connecticut, it's called the Southeastern Mental Health Authority — often are enrolled in Husky D. Many of the providers also accept private insurance.

"We can connect people with the services they need," said Delphin-Rittmon. "We really try to create a system where there's no wrong door and there are multiple ways to access treatment."

The commissioner acknowledged that a number of addicts relapse after undergoing treatment.

"What people in recovery often tell us is that recidivism is part of the journey," she said. "Certainly we're looking to reduce that."

Some who have sought treatment for family members said they were told there was a waiting list. 

That should never happen, said Greg Plaikas, a community relations coordinator for Advanced Recovery Systems, a private company that specializes in treatment of addiction, substance abuse and eating disorders.

"Somebody who's ready to get help with an opiate addiction, you can't tell them, 'We'll have a bed in four days,'' Plaikas said. "Something horrible might happen in four days. If I was diagnosed with cancer right now, they wouldn't tell me, 'Wait a week and we'll call you back.' ''

Plaikas has been working with Community Speaks Out, Inc., a recently formed nonprofit group in New London County that is dedicated to helping the families of heroin/opiate addicts.

The group has found placements for 22 people in the past three months.

Plaikas said that even if he can't place someone in an Advanced Recovery System facility, "We're going to place them in a program."

Plaikas said the families with insurance who seek help for their children often don't know how to navigate the process. He said the residential treatment facilities insist that patients go through a detox facility first.

"The system is backward because they're making people get high in order to get them into treatment," he said.

Also, he said, a lot of facilities in Connecticut won't take private and commercial insurance, and families who contact their insurers rather than let the facility call in often are told that the addict needs to undergo "a lower level of care" before a longer term program is authorized.

"If we get them out of state, we can get them covered," he said.

Plaikas said the demand for heroin/opiate treatment is high.

"We're still seeing a lot of individuals who are suffering from alcohol abuse and other substances, but I would have to say, the majority of families and individuals I'm dealing with is someone who is addicted to opiates, whether that's prescription pills or heroin. It's mostly between the ages of 18 to 28, both male and female."

Plaikas has first-hand experience. He was an opiate addict who has been sober for 15 years.

"It was the thing that destroyed my life," he said. "I was full of shame and guilt for it and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Sometimes when I speak to an individual or family I take my professional hat off and tell my story."

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN