Hundreds of people attended the event at Courthouse Square in Dayton, gathering at 2 p.m. for food trucks and more than 60 information tables from health care, addiction services and supportive housing providers. The crowd swelled throughout the afternoon as speakers gave first-hand accounts about their paths to recovery.
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
Shanon Cochran of Kettering told the crowd how she was in jail “countless times,” but with help through the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court’s Secure Transitional Offender Program, or S.T.O.P , and now a Mahajan Therapeutics’ program, she’s nearing three years of sobriety and has her three children back home.
“But it doesn’t matter where you start, just as long as you take a moment and just go somewhere,” she said, dovetailing with this year’s theme: “Maybe it’s time.”
Along with FOA, the rally’s co-sponsor was Mahajan Therapeutics, a company on the “front lines” providing addiction treatment, primary care and psychiatry services, said CEO Varun Mahajan.
“Events like the Rally 4 Recovery are important to both celebrate individuals that have overcome addiction, and to remind us how much work there is left to do,” he said.
More than 93,000 people in the U.S. died of overdose deaths in 2020, the highest number ever recorded and a nearly 30% increase over 2019, according to preliminary data released last month by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The provisional data show Ohio with a projected 5,308 deaths in during 2020.
Last year, 323 people died in Montgomery County from accidental drug overdoses, according to the coroner’s office. Through Aug. 23 of this year, fatalities number 229.
The event also featured raffle drawings and time to network with other families and individuals impacted by addiction. People signed a banner to honor those working to overcome drug problems and to remember those lost to an overdose.
Tracy Pederson of Waverly signed the banner in part: “To the suffering addict: As long as there is breath in your lungs there is hope!”
Elizabeth Short of Middletown, her daughter Jordan, and Jordan’s boyfriend Robbie Hobbs, all attended the rally for the first time. All three are in recovery.
Along with Jordan, Short has two sons and “just didn’t want to live that life anymore. It’s hell and there’s nothing good about it.”
Short said people in active addiction often don’t know where to turn, but events like the rally can put them on the right path. She just left a sober living facility in Lebanon clean.
“It feels good to be this way,” she said. “Sometimes it sucks because you get emotional. But then it’s a great feeling to feel everything.”
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
Short said one of people who helped get her sober is the mother of J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy who spoke Sunday to the group about how the drug use of his mother impacted his family while growing up in Middletown. The experience spurred the book which was made into a movie.
“Addiction has affected my family in ways I’m sure a lot of you can recognize and a lot of you are familiar with,” said Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.
“I know we’ve had some problems in the last 20, 30 years,” he said. “I know it hasn’t been easy, always, for the folks who come from this community. But I want to say, I’m proud of you.”
The crowd also gathered for a group photo to illustrate just how many lives addiction touches. The event culminated with a launch of differently colored balloons representing one’s personal relationship with addiction.
Since its formation in Montgomery County, FOA has expanded to include programs for families in Clark, Darke, Miami, Shelby and Van Wert counties.
Overdose Awareness Day
Tuesday is International Overdose Awareness Day and the Community Overdose Action Team, or COAT, is encouraging area residents to pause for a moment of silence at noon, to remember those who have lost their lives to drug overdose and addiction.
“Addiction and overdose can affect anyone. Those who battle the disease of addiction and have died of an overdose are our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters — they are loved and they are missed,” said Jeff Cooper, Montgomery County Health Commissioner.
About Families of Addicts
For more information about Families of Addicts, visit the FOA website at www.foafamilies.org, or contact Executive Director Anita Kitchen at 937-329-2865 or by email, AnitaK@FOAfamilies.org. Donations can be made to the Families of Addicts Foundation at www.foafamilies.org/donate.
Where to get help
If someone is experiencing stress or anxiety, they can call the Miami Valley Warmline at 937-528-7777, Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., for free and confidential mental and behavioral health peer support services. For access to immediate help 24/7, the public can call Samaritan Behavioral Health Crisis Care at 937-224-4646 for linkage to treatment and care options.
GetHelpNow Montgomery County is a free app that connects residents with local service providers for substance use disorders, mental health illnesses, and more. The interactive directory can be used to find a nearby provider near you. This app also provides housing, COVID-19, and workforce resources. For more information, please visit: https://ghn.mcadamhs.org/.
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