The hamlet of Brentwood is located in Suffolk County in the town of Islip. Islip is one of ten cities in Suffolk County situated along the south shore of Long Island. The population of Brentwood is estimated at over 63,000 people and has a median age of 32 years old. The rate of poverty within the city is approximately 12% of the population who are living below the poverty line. Brentwood and other parts of Suffolk County have been impacted by opioids, such as prescription pain medication and heroin. Many of the opioid abuse problems start with unused medication, which is not adequately disposed of. According to the Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel, law enforcement in Suffolk County continue to make progress with the proper disposal of unused medication. In 2018 the New York State Drug Takeback Act was signed into law, which requires pharmacies with ten or more US locations to participate as drug collection sites for unused medication. Additionally, numerous coalitions were developed with the Long Island Prevention Resource Center. These prevention groups are working with local neighborhood and school districts promoting drug education. According to the Suffolk County Community Health Assessment (CHA) for 2014-2017, the prevalence of self-reported alcohol use among 12th graders is around 56%, which is considerably higher than the national average of 41%. Alcohol use at a young age often leads to the use of other drugs such as pain medication or illicit drugs. Anyone struggling with addiction in Brentwood should seek help immediately. The first will be a drug detox program to handle the physical aspect of addiction. Once detoxification is completed, it is important to continue the rehabilitation process at a drug rehab center to deal with the underlying reasons why the person started using in the first place.
