- Alcohol
- Friends & Family
submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Julie attended the Heroes in Recovery 6K run in Atlanta because she saw a flier at a different race she went to a few weeks before. She tries to run at least one race a month and enjoys the activity of running and the fun a race day gives her. She saw what the Heroes in Recovery run is all about, thought that it is a really good cause to support, and signed up for it.
Julie supports the cause and she is personally affected by addiction. A cousin of hers died of this disease at age 40. His death was unexpected and shocking. Talking about it still brings tears to her eyes. Julie has never had a problem with alcohol or drugs, nor has her immediate family, nevertheless she is still affected by the loss of her cousin and wishes that he could have gotten help and was still around. He had problems for a while, but it was still a shock to see him leave the way he did. Her whole family was caught by surprise.
“We need more education and awareness so people get over the stigma associated with addiction,” Julie says. She would like to see more people be able and willing to get help with their disease, and reducing the stigma would be a great place to start this positive change.
Julie used to play a lot of softball. Today she loves to run to stay healthy, fit and active. She wants people to reach out for help so they can enjoy an active life like hers as well. Tears roll down her face as she tells anybody in active addiction, anyone who might read this, “It’s worth it!” She wants to come back to this awareness run every year to do something for others who are fighting addiction.