Tag: recovery advocate

Austin Eubanks’ Ex-Wife Says Columbine Survivor Was Under Pressure To Be Perfect

Eubanks died in May 2019 from “acute heroin toxicity” at the age of 37.

Austin Eubanks was under pressure to be the perfect role model of recovery, his ex-wife said in a recent conversation.

Aimee Bouc, who had two children with Eubanks, recently opened up to KSHB Kansas City about how the Columbine survivor struggled even as he promoted recovery.

“There was so much pressure put on him to be this perfect person in the eyes of the world,” Bouc said. “He didn’t feel he could actually go and get the treatment when he did go back to it.”

Becoming An Advocate

Eubanks emerged from his teenage trauma to become a prominent recovery advocate who dedicated himself to helping others.

“His story and the power behind Columbine really put him front and center of the opioid [epidemic],” said Bouc. “He brought a complete level of awareness and helped so many people and I’ve read their comments on how he helped them shape their lives. It just brought me tears of joy.”

Bouc said she suspected Austin was using again before his fatal overdose in May 2019.

Austin struggled with his recovery despite his advocacy. His death was a jarring reminder that recovering from trauma and substance use disorder is a lifelong battle.

“I believe there was always a fight,” said Bouc. “I don’t believe he was always using, [I] believe that was more recently.”

She added, “It never stops being a struggle. I don’t think addiction is something you can just stop struggling one day; it’s always a work in progress.”

After Columbine

Austin was 17 when he was shot in the arm and knee during the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. He turned to drugs to numb the emotional trauma of that day, including witnessing his best friend die during the shooting.

“My injuries were not to the point of needing an opiate pain medication,” he told The Fix in a 2016 interview. “But I was immediately given a 30-day supply. Within three months I became addicted… I used substances every day, day in and day out.”

When he found recovery, he dedicated himself to helping others get well. “The message I want to send to people is to ask for help,” he told The Fix. “I lived in the dark for over a decade in my addiction. I could never see a path out. Ask for help because it’s there.”

Eubanks died in May 2019 from “acute heroin toxicity” at the age of 37. His family said in a statement following his passing that he “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face.”

View the original article at thefix.com

15 October 2019
Macklemore To Receive MusiCares Award For Addiction Recovery Work

The rapper has been vocal about his personal experience with addiction and recovery.

Rapper and songwriter Macklemore will be the next musician to receive the annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from the MusiCares Foundation for his ongoing advocacy for those with substance use disorders.

Macklemore himself is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and has been quite vocal about his own struggles with the disease.

Macklemore became widely known for his activism in 2012 with the release of his single “Same Love” with Ryan Lewis. The song voiced strong support for LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage, which was legalized in his home state of Washington that same year.

In 2012, the rapper also spoke out about his addiction issues in a short documentary by Jabari Johnsonand released the song “Starting Over,” about a relapse he suffered in 2011.

“Those three-plus years, I was so proud of,” Macklemore says in the song, “Then I threw them all away for two Styrofoam cups. The irony, everyone will think that ‘He lied to me.’ Made my sobriety so public, there’s no f—ing privacy.”

Macklemore checked himself into rehab in 2008 and has been open about his experiences ever since he first topped the charts with “Thrift Shop.”

In 2016, he produced an MTV documentary on the opioid epidemic titled Prescription for Change that included conversations with then-President Obama. In the same year, he appeared at one of Obama’s weekly addresses to speak out about addiction stigma.

“When you’re going through it, it’s hard to imagine anything being worse than addiction,” he said. “But the shame and stigma associated with the disease keeps too many people from seeking the help they actually need. Addiction isn’t a personal choice or a personal failure.”

On May 16 of this year, he will perform at the MusiCares Concert for Recovery in Los Angeles, where he will be given the award. According to CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, Neil Portnow, the award is well deserved.

“Macklemore’s artistic gifts are clearly recognized, as evidenced by the celebration of his music by fans all around the world,” said Portnow. “In addition to his musical contributions, we’re honoring him for what he has done since the beginning of his career—shine a light on his own struggles with addiction as a beacon of hope for those who suffer. It is a powerful testament to his talent and his generosity of spirit.”

Other Washingtonian musical artists to receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award include Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell died by suicide in 2017, a tragedy that his wife attributes to his use of prescription drugs.

View the original article at thefix.com

22 March 2019
Christopher Kennedy Lawford Dies At 63

“He was the absolute cornerstone to my sobriety,” said his cousin, Patrick Kennedy.

Actor Christopher Kennedy Lawford has died, according to his family. The nephew of John F. Kennedy succumbed to a heart attack on Tuesday, according to his cousin, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy. He was 63.

Lawford was living in Vancouver, Canada with his girlfriend and working to open a recovery facility, according to the AP.

Lawford used his own drug issues to author several books about addiction and recovery—including Moments of Clarity (2008), Recover to Live (2013), What Addicts Know (2014), and When Your Partner Has an Addiction (2016).

Lawford—the son of English “Rat Pack” actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy—was candid about his recovery, and guided others on the same path.

“He was the absolute cornerstone to my sobriety, along with my wife. He was the one who walked me through all the difficult days of that early period,” said Patrick Kennedy, who battled his own drug issues and is now a vocal advocate for mental health and addiction recovery.

Lawford described using LSD in his youth while in boarding school. He stayed away at first, but began experimenting to cope with the trauma of his parents’ bitter divorce and the assassinations of his uncles John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.

“I had friends trying to get me to use LSD in seventh grade. I grew up with an ethic of trying to do good in the world, and I said no. Then my Uncle Bobby was shot. Next fall they asked me again and I said sure,” Lawford told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2016.

Things only got worse from there, as Lawford “graduated” to heroin and other opioids, according to the AP. In his memoir Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption (2005), Lawford described mugging women for money, panhandling in Grand Central Station, and getting arrested for drug possession.

Lawford finally went to rehab at the age of 30. And while his life was far from perfect, he said he has no regrets.

“There are many days when I wish I could take back and use my youth more appropriately. But all of that got me here,” he told the AP in 2005. “I can’t ask for some of my life to be changed and still extract the understanding and the life that I have today.”

After the death of his cousin David Kennedy (son of RFK) who fatally overdosed at the age of 28, Lawford said in 1991, “I never expected to make it to 30. I shouldn’t have. I just have to stay out of my own way, because I’ve got this capacity to screw things up.”

View the original article at thefix.com

7 September 2018
Ultra Marathoner Charlie Engle Runs 26 Hours To Celebrate 26 Years Sober

Charlie Engle has been sober since 1992.

Supporters cheered on ultramarathon runner Charlie Engle on Sunday, as he ran for 26 hours to celebrate 26 years of sobriety.

“It’s an unusual way to celebrate but for me, running was a lifesaver,” said Engle, according to ABC 11 News. He said he’s running to “show those people that are still out there struggling that there is another way.”

The 55-year-old adventurer and author of Running Man ran more than 100 miles in Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, to spotlight Healing Transitions, a local recovery center. “We’re doing this three-mile loop out here around Healing Transitions, which is this amazing center here in Raleigh,” he said.

Engle says running changed his life, and it’s easy to start. “Just go for an hour long walk, 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back. If you make that a habit two or three days a week, it’s amazing how quickly your life will transform,” he said.

The ultramarathoner has been sober since July 23, 1992, according to his official website. Since then, he’s conquered all kinds of adventures. “I’ve run across deserts, summited ice-covered volcanoes, swam with crocodiles and served a stint in federal prison. But my greatest challenge is the one I take on every single day—sobriety,” according to his bio.

He’s also able to combine his love of running with his passion for recovery.

“While my daily urge to drink and use drugs has waned over the years, I still struggle with the addict that lives inside of me. It took me a long time to figure out that I cannot, and should not, kill my addictive nature,” he said. “Instead, my challenge has been finding a way to use the addict within me for positive, purpose-driven pursuits.”

In 2016, he participated in a 3,100-mile relay across the United States called the Icebreaker Run, to bring awareness to the need for better access to mental health treatment. He ran alongside five other runners who were all in recovery in some way.

Engle isn’t slowing down any time soon; he already has big plans for 2019. “I’m gonna go from the lowest place on the planet, which is the Dead Sea in Jordan, all the way to the top of Mount Everest—as a metaphor for addiction recovery. It literally is going from the lowest place to the highest. That’s my next big project.”

View the original article at thefix.com

26 July 2018
Demi Lovato's Fans Pay Tribute To Her Mental Health & Recovery Advocacy

Fans created the hashtag #HowDemiHasHelpedMe to tell the world how the pop star’s advocacy work has positively affected their lives.

Pop star Demi Lovato has made a name for herself as a champion of mental health and recovery support—having herself battled problem drug use, bipolar disorder, and self-harm.

The impact of her advocacy is real. Fans are paying tribute to the pop singer, who was hospitalized for a suspected overdose on Tuesday in Los Angeles, with a new hashtag: #HowDemiHasHelpedMe. The singer is reportedly “awake and talking,” according to People.

People on social media described how songs like “Warrior,” “Skyscraper,” and “Confident” helped them get through the worst times—through suicide attempts, bullying, and depression.

Her songs and her story helped me stay strong through the years I was bullied. She taught me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my mental illnesses or eating disorders. She taught me that getting help is not a sign of weakness but strength. @kkaaylana

Her music helped me realize that it was okay to be broken. Her being honest about her problems helped me see I could be something other than a mental illness. @princessofsinss

She showed me it takes a strong person to ask for help. @hydxan

She gives me so much light and happiness. But beyond the excitement and joy she gives me, she is on a journey with me. We are both figuring out life, and she inspires me to grow as she does. I completely love her and don’t know what I’d do without her here. @ddlxpeace

She is very outspoken about mental illnesses, especially anxiety & depression… It makes me feel like I shouldn’t be ashamed of my journey & my struggles. That I am human. @mercifuldreamer

Though the exact cause of her hospitalization is yet unknown, Lovato is suspected to have suffered a drug overdose. According to reports, the singer was treated with Narcan in her Hollywood Hills home.

Lovato has been active and vocal in her recovery. This past March, she celebrated six years of sobriety. In June, she released a song called “Sober,” revealing a recent relapse: “To the ones who never left me we’ve been down this road before. I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”

The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer has been recognized as a champion of mental health and recovery support, and a fighter against stigma and shame. “Every day is a battle,” she said while accepting the Spirit of Sobriety award at a fundraising event last October.

“You just have to take it one day at a time, some days are easier than others and some days you forget about drinking and using, but for me, I work on my physical health, which is important, but my mental health as well.”

View the original article at thefix.com

26 July 2018
Recovery Advocates Respond To Trump's Opioid PSAs With New Video

Two recovery advocates made a personal video about their addiction struggles in hopes of getting a meeting with the president to discuss opioid policies.

The Trump Administration’s quartet of “Know the Truth” public service announcements about the dangers of opioid use and abuse have garnered mixed reviews from the recovery community for their shocking tone.

They have also spurred a response from an Ohio-based recovery advocate, who has created his own video that details a more personal take on dependency and recovery.

Richie Webber, who recovered from heroin dependency to found Fight for Recovery, and his friend Chanda Lynn, of Jamestown, New York, talk openly about their struggles with dependency in the video in hopes of not only encouraging viewers to do the same, but also garnering a meeting with President Trump to discuss more compassionate opioid policies. The video has been submitted to a White House site for review.

Webber has been sober for four years from a dependency on heroin that he developed in high school after suffering a sports injury. He currently operates Fight for Recovery, which offers support for those with dependency issues and their families and friends. He said that he was encouraged by Trump’s initial statements about dependency, which hinged on his brother, Fred, who struggled with alcoholism before his death in 1981.

But when he saw the “Know the Truth” videos, Webber said, “Wow, this isn’t going to work.” The strident tone reminded him of previous efforts, which he viewed as failed attempts. “We did the DARE commercials in the ’80s, and that clearly didn’t work,” he said.

So with Lynn, whose previous videos about recovery have generated more than 8 million views, and Zach Yoney of Sandusky, Ohio, he created a message that talked directly to viewers—and Trump—about their paths to recovery.

In the video, Webber discusses his “all-American” teen years, when he was a track star at Clyde High School, as well as the multiple overdoses, jail time and friends he lost to dependency. The piece concludes with a direct address to Trump: “Let us help you help America.”

Since its release on Facebook in early July 2018, the video has been viewed more than 163,000 times. Webber and Lynn have plans to release additional videos, and hope to start filming a new effort in September 2018.

He also remains active with Ohio-area events to raise awareness about dependency and recovery. “We’re just trying to cover as many bases as possible,” said Webber.

View the original article at thefix.com

26 July 2018