- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Mental Health
My daughter passed away in December 2014 of a Fentanyl overdose. Since her death I have had the privilege of meeting many of her friends who shared the last year of her life, the longest time in her adult life that she was clean and sober. Sadly she relapsed, but her friends have found inspiration in her death, and I have made many new friends who are succeeding in recovery.
Each person I’ve met has a different story. There’s no one thing that has turned them all around. They received help from their families, their children and rehabilitation services. I learned that the most important thing for them is a positive support group. They call on each other to help, and they give back to their recovery community. They have connections.
Life is hard for most of them as they have additional challenges beyond remaining clean. Many have prison records. Many have financial troubles. Many have lost the trust of their family members. They live with the consequences of their actions every minute of every day. All of my daughter’s friends agree that getting rid of the stigma of addiction is critical to allowing our society to move forward and deal with this epidemic. Addiction is not a choice. No one would want to live that way.