longisland

Long Islanders learned more about an FDA-approved drug that can be used to fight addiction during a meeting in Hempstead Tuesday.

Doctors say Vivitrol has proved to be an invaluable tool in treating opioid addicts.

Dr. Thomas Jan says 30-40 of his patients are on Vivitrol now. He says the injection, which is given every 28 days, stops the brain from getting high.

"It dramatically decreases cravings for opioids," said Jan.

Steven Chassman, a substance abuse counselor at the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, says the fact that only a doctor can prescribe or administer Vivitrol is what sets it apart from other medications.

Dr. Jan says he will not give the drug to anybody who "is not invested in recovery." He and Chassman say Vivitrol is one important piece in a treatment plan, which must also include counseling.

Long Islanders learned more about an FDA-approved drug that can be used to fight addiction during a meeting in Hempstead Tuesday.    Doctors say Vivitrol has proved to be an invaluable tool in treating

Long Island

LI | Weather

122LIWEATHER_2023-12-02-07-06-25

It's gonna cool down again in the 10 day. Let's talk about the bigger issue, which is going to be the rain tomorrow. So we do have cloudy skies all weekend, obviously a fog out there this morning too. So that's creating some visibility issues. But on Sunday, it is a steady rain for a good chunk of the day. So today is the pick out of the weekend. There'll be some peaks of sunshine this afternoon around lunch, but not much of it. Temperatures are in the mid ff maybe even upper fifties if we get enough sunshine, but I would not count on the sun. It's gonna be a possibility that we, you got a few breaks in the clouds, but most of the day is pretty cloudy. This is 5 p.m. the sun is already set and temperatures are still in the fifties. So you don't need the heavy winter jacket. Just a light jacket. Today will do dinner time is mainly dry, but after 89 o'clock, there could be some spritzes and stray showers. It's a all day full LG wash out on Sunday, light rain in the morning, check this out. Temperatures are in the fifties in the morning, that's above average for the afternoon at this point in the year. But we don't warm up on Sunday. It's gonna stay 50 all day with this very persistent, very steady and very damp rain that just sticks around until I'd say about six o'clock or so. So, if you have any brunch lunch, early dinner plans Sunday, I just don't see a lot of opportunity for dry time for you here. So we're gonna keep that in mind. Temperatures are not bad all the way through Monday. We're hanging out in the fifties. Today's high of 56 is the warmest that we've actually seen since mid November morning. Lows are in the forties, so no worries about frost. No worries about cold when you're stepping out the door. Tuesday morning, we're back down to 36. So that's kind of setting the stage for a cooler upcoming work week, 46 there, 43 on Wednesday and 42 on Thursday. It's not the coldest set we've seen, but it is definitely pretty chilly for that first night of Hanukkah. Expected to definitely feel like it is December, but we rebound a little bit next weekend with another chance for some rain. Just a little heads up on that. But the work week does look dry. Not that we want to talk about the work week on a Saturday, but that's how it's shaping up

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Drug used to fight addiction gains popularity on LI