Health

14 HEALTH • Spring 2017 A t 18, Jake Nichols had never tried anything harder than alcohol or marijuana. It wasn't until he got to college and started taking Adderall as a study aid that the floodgates opened. As a pharmacy student, he had access to pretty much every drug on the market. It was a slippery slope, and eventually, Nichols became addicted to Adderall and Vicodin. "As a pharmacist, you're like a kid in the candy store," he said. "You have access to pretty much everything." He struggled with his disease for 15 years, but has now been clean since 2010. The path to recovery began with suboxone treatment and a five-year stint in the Massachusetts Professional Recovery System, a treatment program for medical professionals and students struggling with addiction. Today, he lives in Natick and works for Orexo, a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey, where he advises insurers, physician groups, and others about medi- cation-assisted treatment. "I was fascinated by the multi-faceted nature of the disease, and how complicated it is. I met a lot of people who I wouldn't hesitate to call saints -- they do this because they care about people, they don't judge," he said. "They just want to help people. I was lucky to be able to find the opportunity to work in the field." Jake Nichols overcame addiction and today advises insurers, doctors and those struggling with addiction about medication-assisted treatment. NO MAGIC PILL Medication-assisted treatments help those in recovery, but they're not a panacea. \\ By Laura Finaldi P H O T O / E D D C O T E

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