Drug overdoses on the rise in Michigan -- But help is available
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Drug overdoses claim more lives in the U.S. than car crashes and murders.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly 3,000 people died of drug overdoses in Michigan in 2021 -- roughly 8 people a day.
More: Annual overdose deaths doubled from 6 years ago, soared amid COVID
During the pandemic, those numbers have been on the rise and are expected to continue to rise this year. However, there is hope and above all, there is help available.
Take it from somebody who knows.
Corey Warren, of Lansing, was a happy kid. He had a good family, lots of friends, and not a care in the world. But that wouldn’t last.
“It started recreationally and I started out having fun, to be honest with you,” said Warren. " And then one day I tried a drug at a party and then the next thing you know, 2-3-4 years later, I just can’t stop using.”
Warren became dependent on a drug and, before he knew it, his world spiraled out of control. As his friends finished up high school, Warren dropped out and checked in to rehab.
Warren’s mother, Jacque Liebner, said there was no heads-up and no warning signs that her son would ever struggle with substance abuse. In turn, she struggled to understand how this could’ve happened.
It feels hopeless there’s no doubt about it when you’re watching your child go through addiction.” said Liebner. “Some of the worst moments in my life were watching my child and walking in on him sticking a needle in his arm. I thought my world had just crumbled.”
Linda Davis watched her daughter fight a similar battle. Her daughter was a straight-A student, college-bound, and looking forward to her bright future ahead. Then everything changed.
After knee surgery, her daughter became addicted to a drug she was prescribed to treat the pain from surgery. Davis did what many parents would do when they see their child struggling.
“I thought if I hovered over my daughter more or just tried to love her more was there more- did more, followed her more did all of those things it would help her,” said Davis.
But there’s no playbook for something like this. There’s no set of rules to follow when your child struggles with substance abuse. That’s why Davis said her efforts to help her daughter only backfired.
However, both Warren and Davis’s daughter made full recoveries and are now living successful happy lives. Now Davis, Liebner, and Warren have dedicated their lives to helping others fight the same battle.
Davis founded Families Against Narcotics (FAR), a grassroots organization that offers information, countless resources, and support to those who struggle with substance abuse and their families.
She shares her experiences so that others will seek out the help her family once needed. But overall she wants others to know that help is not only available but crucial to recovery.
“You’re taking somebody with a brain disease and asking them to navigate that by themselves that just doesn’t work successfully,” said Davis. “It’s why we only have 10 percent of the people that suffer from substance abuse disorders that are accessing treatment.”
On average it takes the human brain about one year to fully recover from opioid use however, most recovery programs don’t last that long. FAR helps people and their families access treatment.
Liebner along with her son, Warren, founded the WAI-IAM Inc. and RISE Recovery Community, a support community that empowers those struggling with substance abuse to live meaningful and fulfilled lives.
“We did it because we want to offer people the same opportunities that I had,” said Warren. “We can be there to support them and be a chain of communication for them I think that’s the most important thing.”
The Rise Recovery Community offers structured supportive housing and is currently home to 72 people in recovery.
Both FAR and Rise Recovery Community also emphasize the importance of fighting the stigma of substance abuse so that more people feel comfortable asking for help.
“These are brilliant people and they just took a wrong turn. And society just lumps them in a box with everybody else and it’s kind of tough to watch.” Said Warren. “But that’s why we’re here to help them out.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with drug addiction- help is available right here in Mid-Michigan.
- Rise Recovery Community -- 517-703-3389
- Families Against Narcotics -- 586-438-8500
- SAMHSA National Hotline --- 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
More: Community news
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