The Addict's Mom Lights of Hope Event - Stop the Stigma of Addiction and Start the Support

Please join us at Free Speech Pavilion at Webster and Jackson (downtown).Naperville, IL on September 13th at 6:30 pm in our quest to share without shame and cast away the chains of stigma which continue to keep us prisoners of sorrow and secrecy. There will be educational speakers, free Naloxone training, entertainment, and a candle lighting.

PRESS RELEASE:

August 28, 2015--The Addict’s Mom announced their nationwide campaign, Lights of Hope, 2015. They will be honoring and supporting those whose lives have been shattered by addiction and remembering those lost. Ceremonies will be hosted by local chapters throughout the United States. On September 13th, candles will burn bright as beacons of hope for the 22.7 million Americans addicted to drugs.

The Addict’s Mom hopes to highlight:

· The lack of available resources specifically structured to care for, curtail, and combat addiction issues.

· Campaigns for foundations, such as hospitals, to increase their efforts in treating those plagued by addiction.

· Information that is available to those struggling with addiction about where they can receive help.

· The fact that recovery is possible.

· The need to never lose hope.

Lights of Hope is an offer extended to all to step out of the shadows of shame and stigma and raise their voices as one by lighting three candles to spotlight September as National Recovery Month. One candle represents those in active addiction, the next celebrates addicts in recovery, and the last speaks for those who have perished. Together the tapers embody the hope that one day this national epidemic of death and despair will end.

An extremely painful and private battle, most addicts and their families suffer alone. Enter Barbara Theodosiou. When she found out that two of her four children had fallen prey to addiction, she knew she had to do something. That something was to announce, very bravely, to the world that she was an addict’s mom and she was not going to hide in shame, but she was going to be there to help every mother like her cope with this beast that was destroying her. Her crusade, now called The Addict’s Mom, a burgeoning Facebook community, is a home for many--a place where mothers share their hopes, fears and grief without shame. Like millions of other parents who have lost their kids to addiction, she speaks for all, regardless of the circumstances. “It shocks me. It crushes me. It steals my soul. There are no breaks, no holidays, there is no solace here. All I can do now is tell his story to the world in the hopes that I am able to make the smallest change in a broken system that houses the mentally ill in violent jails.” She’s not alone anymore. The Addict’s Mom, now 30,000 strong, takes pride in bolstering battered spirits, sharing the miniscule amount of community resources available, and offering support where once there was none—a huge victory

Very few choose to publicize their battle, but like Theodosiou, Susan Prentice of Sandusky, Ohio believes The Lights of Hope can promote change. Her son, Christopher Miller, died from a drug related incident over two years ago. “It is by far the most painful experience of our lives. If more people are open and talk about addiction, maybe we can truly start to fix the problem.” Bring a candle to light to for awareness, to honor or remember those loved ones in their respective stages of recovery. Red for those in active addiction, white for those in recovery and black for those who have passed away.

Please join us at Free Speech Pavilion at Webster and Jackson (downtown).Naperville, IL on September 13th at 6:30 pm in our quest to share without shame and cast away the chains of stigma which continue to keep us prisoners of sorrow and secrecy. There will be educational speakers, free naloxone training, entertainment, and a candle lighting. For more information: www.Addictsmom.com or barbara@theaddictsmom.com or 954-309-0992.