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We received this video from a family whose oldest son died of an accidental heroin and fentanyl overdose in December 2015, on his 22nd birthday. They made this video to help other teens and their families avoid going down the path of addiction. Here is their story, in their words.
Three weeks before our oldest son, Alex overdosed and died, he said to his father, “Maybe I can help others”. He wanted to help other young people avoid addiction. But, that was not meant to be. On his 22nd birthday, Alex’s mom found him on our couch in the basement, with the TV still on. He was cold to the touch. The local coroner’s office carried Alex’s body out of our house in a black body bag.
In the wake of Alex’s passing, our family analyzed the path that Alex, and we, had gone down. Alex did not fit society’s stereotype of an addict. It was like a slow-motion picture of a car skidding and then violently crashing. We looked at every frame, from every angle, to try to understand exactly how and when things went so wrong. We thought back to high school when Alex told us, unprompted, that he had been drinking with his friends. He didn’t want to lie to us. To college and signs of trouble that we did not heed. And to the two-year period from Alex’s first use of opiates to when he died.
We spoke with students at Alex’s high school and their parents. The two most common questions were “How could this happen?” and “How can I prevent it from happening to my friend or my child?” We answered these questions based on our experience and the leading research on addiction.
Subsequently, on Facebook, our family saw a beautiful and effective animated video on autism, called ‘Amazing Things Happen’. We reached out to the creator of that video and he was very gracious in communicating his experience. Our family decided that people could benefit from a clear video on addiction: how it starts, how it develops, and how to try to prevent it altogether. So, we made ‘How Addiction Happens’ to help others. To help Alex fulfil his wish.
All teens should watch the short video and think about themselves and their friends. You can see the path start to happen. Don’t go down it.
Their parents should watch it also. Take time and truly listen to your kids. They need your help.
Learn more about our work on Youth.
Source: How Addiction Happens