For people affected by addiction, recovery can be the only way of survival, and for families it is the only way out of years of suffering and grief.
That message was at the center of an Aug. 31 overdose awareness event hosted by the Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA), where students and community members gathered to remember people who died from addiction, to hear recovery stories and learn about resources that can help prevent overdoses.
The event was organized with the goal of reducing the stigma surrounding addiction and reminding people struggling with substance use disorders are still valued and supported.
“We just really want to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around opioid use disorder and overdose,” said Marcy Gray, rural programs director for the Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness and a person in long-term recovery.
Gray said she hopes events such as this give people in recovery an opportunity to speak freely about their experiences, showing individuals that they must not face this alone. That support can be found everywhere.
“Hope can save lives, recovery is possible, I know this because I have lived it.”
Light At The End Of A Tunnel
The first guest speaker was Lauren, a St. George resident who has been in long-term recovery. She shared her experience with addiction and recovery throughout her lifetime.
Lauren said her addiction began after years of trauma build up. When she was 6 years old, her 14 year old sister died following a methamphetamine addiction. At 17, Lauren was sexually assaulted and later entered wilderness therapy.
“I am 39, and I have had more overdoses than birthdays I have celebrated,” Lauren said.
The comment silenced the entire crowd.
Later in life, Lauren and her brother entered recovery through the Salvation Army. Both became sober, but three months after moving to St. George, her brother died of an overdose.
“After he died, I overdosed 12 times in six months,” Lauren said.
She eventually stopped using drugs at the age of 33, which was the age her brother had passed away. Lauren has been in recovery for 5 years now.
“Life gets beautiful when you let go of what’s holding you back,” she said.
Addiction Leaves People Behind
The next speaker was Dinora Lalonde, a woman sharing the story of her daughter’s life and journey with addiction. Lalonde described her daughter Gigi as someone who brought light into the life of every person she met. In high school Gigi fell into the wrong crowd and started experimenting with drugs.
Gigi later entered a long period of recovery and had been doing well. “She was clean for 10-11 years, but the divorce took her down, it was the beginning of the end,” her mother said.
The two had a system of checking in with each other every night. One night, Gigi did not call. Instead, she sent one message “Mom, I’m so tired,”. She knew what her daughter meant.
The next morning Gigi’s boss contacted her mother letting her know she did not come into work that morning. The boss adored Gigi and knew what this could have meant. Dinora made her way to the apartment her daughter had been living in. Dread washing over her as she saw the parked car, and heard the dogs barking.
“I don’t think there’s a day I don’t think about this,” Lalonde said. After facing every mother’s worst nightmare, she saw a message on her phone sent earlier in the morning “I love you Mom.”
Lalonde ended her speech with positive memories of Gigi, marking the inspiration for her to be here today. “You are stronger than you think” and “Everyone has a chance to make a difference in the world.”
Her last statement being “If one person is touched by my story with my daughter here tonight, it is a success. I’ve made a change” earning a standing ovation from the crowd and many tears.
Narcan Makes A Difference
While Lauren and Lalonde focused on the personal effects of addiction, medical students from Rocky Vista University focused on what people can do when an overdose occurs.
Dalton Miller, a first-year medical student at Rocky Vista University and former emergency medical services worker in Los Angeles, demonstrated the use of Narcan alongside other students.
Narcan may be given in the form of a nasal spray or injection, and these can be life saving tools in opioid overdoses. The demonstration involved administering the nasal spray to someone’s nostril and also the injection to a large muscle such as in the thigh or arm. A key point being Narcan is safe to use even if one is not sure it is an overdose. If it is, then a life will be saved while waiting on EMS.
Miller’s interest in overdose awareness is personal. He said his father overdosed on opioids when Miller was a teenager and survived after receiving Narcan.
“When I heard about that, I knew I wanted to participate because opioid addiction has impacted my own family with my dad,” Miller said.
He said his father’s survival showed him how important it is for people to know how to respond during an overdose.
“As much as CPR can save a life, this equally can save a life,” Miller said referring to Narcan.
Miller said people do not have to be doctors, nurses or other medical professionals to make a difference during an emergency.
“A lot of time, people feel alone, or they don’t know what to do if they’re around someone who’s suffering from that,” Miller said. “To provide proper healthcare education to people, you can do so much in this world, just being a bystander.”
Miller said Narcan can give families another chance to keep a loved one alive.
“You could save a life, and you could help bring that parent back to that child,” Miller said.
Education Changes Lives
Hunter, a second year medical student at Rocky Vista University from Amarillo, Texas, said his interest in addiction medicine comes from experiences with family members..
These experiences influenced his decision to pursue medicine and work with people struggling with addiction.
“I’m really drawn to medicine, particularly the field of addiction medicine, due to experiencing some things in my family,” Hunter said. “That really drew me to the healthcare field to be able to impact those that are dealing with such things in the future.”
Hunter explained that education about addiction and mental health should begin before people reach college.
“One of the biggest ways that we can impact youth, especially growing into high school and college, is to educate them on the science behind addiction and mental health issues,” Hunter said.
He said teaching young people coping skills and strategies can help them prepare for situations involving pressure, impulsive decisions or substance use.
Hunter said people who notice a loved one struggling should avoid treating addiction as something that makes the person less worthy of support.
“The most important thing, I would say, is to be there to support them,” Hunter said. “Not bringing them down when they’re struggling with things like that, it’s very important to just be there to support them.”
Finding Support
Miller said USARA was one of the first resources he encountered in the St. George and Washington County area that connected people with organizations working with addiction and overdose.
“I think that USARA is a great resource, first and foremost,” Miller said. “They are in touch with many organizations that can help people struggling with addiction or opioid overdose, anything of that nature.”
Miller said people can also seek help through healthcare providers and opioid addiction hotlines.
For people who are struggling with addiction, Hunter said the most important step may simply be reaching out.
“Just make even the smallest impact means a lot,” Hunter said. “You can get through it and reach out, reach out, take that first step, and you’ll see that there’s a lot of people out there that love you or are willing to help you.”
For Miller, that support is what made the stories shared at the event meaningful. He said hearing from people who have experienced addiction and loss firsthand showed how those experiences can be used to help others.
“The recovery stories, or the resilience of the family members that, unfortunately, may have lost someone to opioid addiction, and they come up here to talk to those who may be struggling,” Miller said. “They turn their story from something that many would grieve about into something inspiring.”
