Guest speaker for the event was national award-winning author, D’Anne Burwell, who penned Saving Jake: When Addiction Hits Home, a personal story about how her son’s heroin addiction affected her family.
Burwell is an advocate for families struggling with substance abuse and captured the audience’s attention with her compelling story.
Her journey began in 2010 when she pieced together the information she had of her son’s first year in college at the age of 19. She said she couldn’t believe how thin and frail he looked — she knew something was wrong but never imagined he could be addicted to heroin.
She said it all started with her son taking Oxycontin and occasionally smoking marijuana while in high school; however, once in college he began experimenting with a more powerful drug — heroin.
“He became extremely thin, he was struggling financially, and he had a cough that would raise the hair on any mother’s head,” Burwell said. “I knew something was wrong.”
Although her son was an addict, Burwell said she knew nothing about addiction, and never thought it would ever happen to her family. She began researching and educating herself, started attending support groups and even talked to counselors and therapists. She was determined to do whatever was necessary in order to help her son overcome his addiction, but in the same process also needed help as a parent on how to keep her family together while coping with the issue.
“When I was reading everything I could get my hands on, there wasn’t anything about what it is like for a parent or family of someone addicted,” she said.
Her son’s addiction was tearing the family apart, she told the audience. However, she did everything in her power to help him. She noted that anyone can become addicted — young or old — addiction, like so many other diseases has no boundaries.
“People can and do recover from addiction, and there is hope for the future,” she remarked.
“However, there is still a stigma and shame associated with addiction — it’s a very isolated thing for everyone it touches. I was surprised how it nearly killed me to go through this with him, but when I looked around, I found so many other people like me, and I knew that by telling my story, I could help others,” Burwell stated.
Burwell told the audience, addiction is common not only in bigger cities, but also communities such as Logan. Her hope is to raise awareness that there is hope for the addict, the families and all affected by this epidemic that is sweeping the country from coast to coast.
“Whenever I speak, I hope to raise awareness by bringing the topic out to the open. I offer suggestions and share the knowledge I’ve learned,” she said.
By sharing her family’s story, Burwell hopes the audience gained compassion and empathy for the lives that are touched by the disease of addiction, and hopes they are encouraged to learn more and seek help.
In addition to Burwell’s incredible story, Amy Black, MSN NP-C with Hopewell Health Centers, gave a power point presentation on the MAT Journey Using Vivitrol.
Logan-Hocking School District Superintendent Monte Bainter said the school district is looking into different programs and ways to help educate the students at an early age before addiction becomes an issue. He believes strongly that educating students, as well as the families, on drug abuse and the dangers of drugs is of the utmost importance.
There were several questions that came up during the question and answer session regarding meetings for families who have loved ones that are addicted; Suboxone versus Vivitrol; and the kids that are left behind and being raised by grandparents due to their parent’s addiction.
Hocking County Municipal Court Judge Fred Moses gave the closing remarks and spoke of the Vivitrol program and how it has helped curb the epidemic in Hocking County. Although the program doesn’t have a 100 percent success rate, the program has been a beneficial tool for his court.
In closing, Moses said the opioid epidemic plaguing our area is a community battle — no one can fight it alone — it takes the entire community to come together to fight the battle.
Ohio reported an increase in drug-related overdose deaths from 3,050 in 2015 to 4,050 in 2016, and fentanyl and related drugs were involved in 58.2 percent of them.
Burwell is an advocate for families struggling with substance abuse and captured the audience’s attention with her compelling story.
Her journey began in 2010 when she pieced together the information she had of her son’s first year in college at the age of 19. She said she couldn’t believe how thin and frail he looked — she knew something was wrong but never imagined he could be addicted to heroin.
She said it all started with her son taking Oxycontin and occasionally smoking marijuana while in high school; however, once in college he began experimenting with a more powerful drug — heroin.
“He became extremely thin, he was struggling financially, and he had a cough that would raise the hair on any mother’s head,” Burwell said. “I knew something was wrong.”
Although her son was an addict, Burwell said she knew nothing about addiction, and never thought it would ever happen to her family. She began researching and educating herself, started attending support groups and even talked to counselors and therapists. She was determined to do whatever was necessary in order to help her son overcome his addiction, but in the same process also needed help as a parent on how to keep her family together while coping with the issue.
“When I was reading everything I could get my hands on, there wasn’t anything about what it is like for a parent or family of someone addicted,” she said.
Her son’s addiction was tearing the family apart, she told the audience. However, she did everything in her power to help him. She noted that anyone can become addicted — young or old — addiction, like so many other diseases has no boundaries.
“People can and do recover from addiction, and there is hope for the future,” she remarked.
“However, there is still a stigma and shame associated with addiction — it’s a very isolated thing for everyone it touches. I was surprised how it nearly killed me to go through this with him, but when I looked around, I found so many other people like me, and I knew that by telling my story, I could help others,” Burwell stated.
Burwell told the audience, addiction is common not only in bigger cities, but also communities such as Logan. Her hope is to raise awareness that there is hope for the addict, the families and all affected by this epidemic that is sweeping the country from coast to coast.
“Whenever I speak, I hope to raise awareness by bringing the topic out to the open. I offer suggestions and share the knowledge I’ve learned,” she said.
By sharing her family’s story, Burwell hopes the audience gained compassion and empathy for the lives that are touched by the disease of addiction, and hopes they are encouraged to learn more and seek help.
In addition to Burwell’s incredible story, Amy Black, MSN NP-C with Hopewell Health Centers, gave a power point presentation on the MAT Journey Using Vivitrol.
Logan-Hocking School District Superintendent Monte Bainter said the school district is looking into different programs and ways to help educate the students at an early age before addiction becomes an issue. He believes strongly that educating students, as well as the families, on drug abuse and the dangers of drugs is of the utmost importance.
There were several questions that came up during the question and answer session regarding meetings for families who have loved ones that are addicted; Suboxone versus Vivitrol; and the kids that are left behind and being raised by grandparents due to their parent’s addiction.
Hocking County Municipal Court Judge Fred Moses gave the closing remarks and spoke of the Vivitrol program and how it has helped curb the epidemic in Hocking County. Although the program doesn’t have a 100 percent success rate, the program has been a beneficial tool for his court.
In closing, Moses said the opioid epidemic plaguing our area is a community battle — no one can fight it alone — it takes the entire community to come together to fight the battle.
Ohio reported an increase in drug-related overdose deaths from 3,050 in 2015 to 4,050 in 2016, and fentanyl and related drugs were involved in 58.2 percent of them.