The Partnership’s Kathy Strain opens up about her Tommy

Kathy Strain, a Partnership to End Addiction volunteer coordinator and substance use advocate and educator, wrote an essay for Newsweek about her experience supporting her Tommy during his substance use and addiction.

About Kathy's Story

Knowing Tommy was struggling with substance use, Kathy gathered as much information as she could about substance use disorder. She found the support she needed to help Tommy – and herself.

“I did not know where to go for help. In the years following, I spent my time learning as much as I could about addiction to try and help Tommy the best that I could. It was during those years that I found Partnership to End Addiction and the resources and support they offer.”

She supported Tommy as he worked hard in his recovery. While he did have some setbacks along the way, he was doing his best to find his path to recovery, even if that meant moving to a recovery house that was not close to home.

“In June 2018, Tommy decided to move to a recovery home in Pittsburgh, about five hours away from home. He thought he would have a better chance of maintaining recovery in a different area. We were far away and the recovery home looked like a great place, but I only checked it out online ... I never even asked if they had Narcan. I assumed they would— being a recovery home and all. I didn't know anything about the location either. It turned out to be in a bad area of Pittsburgh known for the amount of drugs.”

Kathy shared concerns she had about the area he was living in, but Tommy said he was making friends, felt like he was doing well at the recovery home and even called her the night before his fatal overdose to tell her about a new job he got. Then the next morning, she received the call no parent should have to experience.

“The next day, Tommy had his final setback. In the end, he died alone in a private room on a private floor in his bed at a recovery home that had no Narcan. None of which should have ever happened.”

Today, Kathy is bravely sharing her story and dedicating her time to support other families that have a loved one struggling with substance use and addiction. Kathy writes, "I have watched the effects of the opioid epidemic on the last three generations of my family and I feel that more could be done to end this public health crisis. It saddens me that we are not doing everything possible to save lives." She is a strong advocate for taking action now to protect the next generation.

We’re thinking about Tommy and his family, especially today on International Overdose Awareness Day. And we are holding space for everyone we have lost to overdoses and the families who miss them every day.

You can read Kathy’s full story on Newsweek here ([link removed] )

Our related resources:

Family support services ([link removed] ) : free, confidential, and personalized services for families that need help supporting a loved one struggling with addiction.

Grief resources for families ([link removed] ) : resources identified by peer parent coaches that helped them after losing a loved one to substance use.

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