
Charlies overdose: why we need to tell young people about fake pills
Tell everyone you know – No Random Pills.
We lost our youngest son, Charlie, on May 14, 2020, to a single counterfeit pill. He was 22.
I was raised in an alcoholic, abusive home and grew up to become an alcoholic who married an abuser. Ironic, although apparently not entirely uncommon if you have grown up in that kind of environment.
When my marriage had its final crash and burn, I moved back in with my mother, my “original abuser”. At that time, she was still drinking alcoholically, which didn’t bode well for my living there. However, surprisingly, she found me a therapist and got me into an inpatient program, which marked the start for my new lease on life.
In 2011 my therapist challenged me to identify and name my most common emotion. I couldn’t.
“Your primary emotion is shame,” she said.
She taught me that shame is its own pandemic; That shame will drive people to seek out “evidence” in life to substantiate their own conviction of being “less than”. For me, this ultimately resulted in a life spent playing small and lurching from crisis to crisis.
I have learned that it is essential to release shame in order to move toward a positive self-concept and a life truly worth living. It is necessary to confront the parts of ourselves that live in the shadows, and bring them out into the light. The most powerful weapon is sharing the things that make us feel the most vulnerable and shameful and laughing at them, and letting others laugh with us as well. Then we know that we are not alone, that we are human, that others are human, and the painful separation of shame dissolves in the sunlight of connection.
Tell everyone you know – No Random Pills.
We lost our youngest son, Charlie, on May 14, 2020, to a single counterfeit pill. He was 22.
World Mental Health Day (October 10th) puts a spotlight on mental health. It’s a time for us to think about our own responsibilities as individuals and communities, when it comes to mental illness.
Dad’s overdose: Now I know it’s not my fault My Dad, Eddie Harkins died from an overdose when he was 54, on August 26, 2017.
One pill can kill – Geri-Lynn Utter, PsyD. (Licensed Clinical Psychologist) May 10th is National Fentanyl Awareness Day. I feel both relieved and hopeful about
Lisa – Kindness: why paying it forward matters Random Acts of Kindness week (February 13-19) is the perfect time to reflect on how we can
Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter, PsyD. – The winter blues: it’s ok not to feel ok. In certain parts of the world, the winter months can take
This link will take you to a site maintained by a third party who is solely responsible for the content of that site. Orexo provides this link as a service to website visitors. Orexo is not responsible for the privacy policy of any third party websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
You must be logged in to post a comment.