People USA — August 21, 2017

which they’re not. They’re in the grasp of a demon.”

For many of these activists, a loved one’s death

immersed them in an unfamiliar and terrifying

world. “I knew nothing about heroin—not one

thing—before my son died,” says Kathleen Wolff,

a retired caregiver in Florida who lost her son

Michael to an overdose in August 2014. “After

he died, I was on a mission to learn every single

thing I could learn. I found the only support group

there was back then. I was shocked by the number

of people who were in this situation.” Motivated to

help, she and two other mothers created Covered

with Love, a Facebook support group that pro-

vides a place for families of addicts to learn about

treatments and resources—or simply to talk about

their own emotional journey of addiction and

recovery. “My thinking was that maybe we could

save one mother, one family, one person from

dying, from losing their child, from this God-awful

ain,” she says. Since its launch in October 2014,

the group’s membership has swelled to more than

3,600. “People were finding our group because

they needed help,” she says. “They were desperate.

We had people sign in on our map, mark their loca-

tions, so if someone needed help, who lives near

them? Who could take a drink, a meal, a blanket

and have a safe conversation with someone else’s

child? By helping, my pain was lessened somehow.

It helped me heal. ”

The stigma of drug addiction weighed heavily on

Kim Humphrey, a retired Phoenix Police Depart-

ment commander who has been a facilitator of the

nonprofit Parents of Addicted Loved Ones since

2012. Humphrey and his wife, Michelle, watched
      their two sons go through addiction and recov-
      ery—both have been sober for several years—and
      now share their experiences at the organization’s
      weekly meetings. “Some say, ‘That will never hap-
      pen to my kid. I’m raising my kid properly,’” says
      Humphrey. “I don’t know what to tell you. My
      wife and I have been married 34 years and have a
      strong, stable family unit. We have to get past the
      idea that addiction is a character flaw.”
      Even as the number of casualties continues
      to rise, families who have lost loved ones hope
      that by sharing their stories they can help others
      avoid a similar fate. “People say, ‘Oh, they have to
      hit rock bottom,’ says Bill Schmincke, who is now
      raising his son Steven’s daughters Abigail, 6, and
      Cassidy, 7. “Well, death was my son’s rock bottom.
      It doesn’t have to be other people’s.”

ByAlexandra Rockey FlemingandSteve Helling

with reporting byCaitlin Keating, Liam Berry

andAlexis Chestnov

If someone you

know is addicted,

these groups

maybeableto

assist:

Substance Abuse

and Mental

Health Services

Administration

An agency of the

U.S. Department

of Health and

Human Services

(samhsa.gov,

800-662-4357),

it offers referrals

to treatment

programs around

the U.S.

ihateheroin.org

The Iowa-based

nonprofit

provides info

and nationwide

support

for recovery

assistance.

learn2cope.org

A support

network for

families dealing

with addiction.

dd

papa

tt

HOW TO

GET

HELP

PEOPLE August 21, 2017 65

Heather Hoffmaster, 24 Jonathan Ferrara, 27 Joe Magyar, 33 Naomi Caulfield, 29 Corbin Clevenger, 17 David Orr, 34 Samantha Roser, 23

David Mitchell, 25 Harley Chamberlin, 38 Jonathan Greeley, 30 Richard Cosner, 30 Warren Waldroop, 35 Delaney Farrell, 23 Daniel Cogan, 22

TOP, FROM LEFT: JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES; TOM GRALISH/PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER; VICTIMS: COURTESY FAMILY & FRIENDS