The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Dylan had Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was 15 years old. He went through chemotherapy for an entire summer. The doctors prescribed him opiate pain killers. Being young and human he became addicted. As it became harder to find the presciption pills he need to fill his addiction he began to lie and steal to afford his drug of choice. He had run ins with the law and tried 3 different rehab facilities. One was a 3 month residential, the others were 30 day residential programs. He moved to Indiana from Wyoming to avoid some of his troubles and try to get clean. He had periods where he would be. Once he turned 21 he soon got a DUI and everything spiralled from there, no car, no job. That lead him to becoming homeless shortly after. He began using heroin, it is cheaper than prescription opiates and easier to get. He reached out for help and went to California for a 30 day inpatient treatment facility. It sounded like he was getting the help he needed and he was going to make it this time. The day he was released he missed his flight home, overdosed on heroin and died in the public bathroom of a hotel.

He struggled with quitting cigarettes, and I suspected a growing dependence on alcohol. I never imagined he was at risk for an overdose of drugs. We don't know for certain, but believe it was one of his first encounters with heroin and cocaine which took his life.

Jim struggled with addiction for many years, beginning with pot and alcohol in high school. He also suffered from depression and anxiety and by his late teen age years it consumed him. He tried many inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, but he was only able to remain clean for short times. Believing I needed to help Jim "reach bottom", I kicked him out of the house when he was 22 and that is one of my biggest regrets. Before that, he used other drugs but had never used heroin. Now I believe that individuals suffering from mental illness and drug addiction are precariously close to the bottom at all times. The true definition of "tough love" is remaining loving, even when it's tough. Read more about my story at http://jimmyboy.us

Heroin was his mistress! He kept it hidden very well from the ones he knew it would hurt the most! It never broke his spirit but took his life! He was clean for 18 months used and died on my livingroom floor! Start to finish his addiction lasted 5yrs

Jim began using drugs at the age of 13, as an "adventure." We sent him to inpatient treatment twice at ages 16 and 17. When he turned 18, he refused to go to any more treatment, as he believed his drinking and drug use was just recreational and thought he could control it. Sports injuries at his job at a ski resort after high school started him on pain pills, and with friends at the ski resort, he used cocaine recreationally. At age 24, Jim became a father and moved nearly 2,000 miles from our family to be near his little boy. He tried to get off the pain pills by taking methadone through a clinic. As he was very lonely in the new place, he increased his doses of methadone and the clinic (to its shame) went along. When he reached a very high dose, and was still drinking, he had a psychic break. We brought him home, and he tried to quit the methadone cold turkey but could not. He continued drinking and moved to California for a fresh start. He went back to pain pills and his addiction grew. In debt to drug dealers, he came back home, but continued buying the pills. He moved to Seattle twice, and to Portland, Oregon, but stayed on the pills, By 2009, back home for another fresh start, he met the girl who became the love of his life. As the pills were too expensive, he switched to heroin because it was cheaper. In 2010, his girlfriend and family convinced him to go back into treatment. He did so, then lived in a sober house in Seattle successfully for 10 months. He seemed to blossom, volunteering, attending AA and NA meetings, and writing thoughtfully about his addiction. In 2011, he and his girlfriend got an apartment and made life plans. That year, a young friend died tragically and Jim relapsed. He tried and tried to stop, but could not, and his girlfriend left. We sent him to treatment twice more, and moved him into our home for nine months. He repeatedly tried to quit but could not. Disheartened and embarrassed at another relapse in 2014, he shot himself

He had his demons, alcohol addiction consumed him and eventually broke him. He took his own life, giving up on any hope.

Oops I did these questions backwards.... The things that made Ian smile.... The ocean and surfing! Hunting with his dad, eating pancakes with whipped cream! His family ... He hugged us and told us he loves us every time he walked in the house.

Ian struggled with addiction for nearly 10 years. It caused so much tension in the family. He went through two stints in rehab, but he couldn't seem to break free.

About a year ago Griffin admitted to me that he started smoking weed at about the age of 14. I had no clue. He was always active , had a job and did well in school. About 2 years ago his personality started to change. He was still working and was attending Aviation Mechanic School, but he was not quite himself. In October of 2015, Griffin quit college and started hanging out in the "badlands" of North Philly. He eventually lost the job he had since he was 14 years old, working with a close family friend. Griffin was arrested and his personality rapidly changed. He went from happy go lucky Griff to sullen, withdrawn and sometimes downright mean. I'm not sure when he started using pills, but I later found out he was using Xanax, Percocet and Oxycodone. Griffin's appearance and demeanor changed completely over the last 6 months of his life. He lost weight, became withdrawn, sometimes angry and more depressed and I watched the light and joy fade from his eyes. I scheduled appointments for him with therapists, mental health professionals and rehab centers, and although he would optimistically look forward to getting his life back on track he would never follow through. On June 26,2016, I received the worst news a mother could hear, "you have to come with me, there is something wrong with Griffin". When I arrived, the paramedics were doing CPR. It seemed like hours and finally at 12:20 pm we were told he had no pulse, there was nothing they could do. His father, myself and his girlfriend spent the next 3 hours sitting with him. I laid next to him, stroking his hair, singing to him and begging him to come back to us. But Griffin was gone. An accidental overdose at the age of 20 would forever change so many lives.

Graham battled with heroin for several years. After completing more treatment he thought he finally had it licked. He lasted 1 week outside of the controlled environment before he used. That last week of his life he was high on meth until he finally turned back to heroin. That final choice took his life. I read these words after the tragic overdose of Philip Seymour Hoffman, "It wasn't the last needle that killed me. It was the first."

Jerry's death was the product of someone else's addiction. Because of his kind heart, he tried it one time to protect someone else from doing it, and died from an overdose.

George started smoking pot, I believe age 11 or 12. I know I found him drunk just a few times. I just never even knew he was headed toward a massive war which would take his life. From psych wards, counseling, A.A. & NA meetings, jail, prison. He would pull himself up but never being able to stay sober for long. I believe now he should of been on some medication for depression. I should of taken him when he was young to a psychiatrist to get examined. He cried to me often. But one time, one of his sober times, I remember taking him to look for a job and he looked at me and said " Mom, what is wrong with me?" The addiction of course advanced to the point that he wished for death.

Geoffrey struggled with addiction for many years, more than his parents had known. But his most intense struggle was probably in the past 3 - 4 years. I honestly think he was masking some deep depression/pain combined with his inability to really cope with just 'life in general'. When we were together recently driving back from Florida (where he'd spent nearly 18 months in and out of rehab facilities), he shared with me how it all started, pills. He knew that cocaine could get him into 'trouble', but he just didn't think that abusing pills would. Once they became too expensive he resorted to heroin. He OD'd once that we know of when he returned home briefly in 2014 on his birthday and was revived with shots of narcan. He said due to that near death experience he was done. Obviously the gripe of his addiction was too tight. Shortly after Christmas 2015 he told his Mom & I he wanted to come home, so I flew to Florida on January 11th and we drove his car back, arriving home on the 12th. During the drive he said one of the many reasons he wanted to be back home (aside from missing family and friends) was he got tired of losing people he'd gotten close to. He counted 15 in the time he was there that had died from overdose. Five days later his Mom found him in his room.

Struggled for many years with alcohol and prescription meds. Was in and out of treatment for years. Reached a point where he just could not stand the pain and drank one night until he didn't wake up.

Frequently before he started high school, he would talk about how much he hated "drugs" and reassured his father and me with great conviction that he would never get involved with them. He entered high school with a great group of friends, and with a solid self-esteem. However, he began to have serious anxiety and panic attacks and the medication his Dr. gave him did not help. He could no longer tolerate his meds for ADHD. Thus, his inability to focus impacted his grades and motivation for school. During 10th grade he began to smoke weed to alleviate his anxiety. Despite, a great deal of therapy and attempts at prescription meds, he continued to spiral downward. His drug use began to include inhalants, and LSD. Several placements at the local mental health center as well as numerous rehabs did not help. By 18 he was dx with Bi-Polar and thus as having a Dual Dx. But the recommended treatments did not help. He continued to relapse and to struggle with anxiety, depression and mood swings. By his senior year, he was involved with harder drugs and barely graduated from HS. During the summer after his freshman year in college he started using IV heroin. More rehabs followed, but as much as he wanted to succeed, nothing helped for long. He started doing IV cocaine along with the heroin. During 2014 he became suicidally depressed and had three very serious attempts. He remained sober and received numerous meds and treatments for his depression but nothing helped much. By summer of 2014 he began trying a new treatment for depression and drug cravings (Ketamine injections) in Denver. He had only had a few of treatments but they seemed to be helping. He was talking positively about moving to Denver. We had to come back to Memphis but were planning to return to Denver ASAP so he could finish his treatments and move there. The night of 9/3/14 we returned home. The next day we found him dead from an OD. We will never know for sure if it was accidental or intentional.

His struggle began when his brother died in a single car accident...ethan just couldn't get past that pain...

Erik battled a severe depression/anxiety disorder from an early age. He had a traumatic birth which now they believe may have been the beginning of the disorder. His substance abuse started with using weed in the 7th grade. It didn't help that a mom would trade him her pain killers for weed. A 14 year battle with periods of hope that he would beat the addiction. It was always the anxiety and PTSD that brought him to the point where he gave up. So many years battling the legal stuff with probation violations for weed. 2 years ago he made a deal with the cops to be a confidential informant. From then on the hole just got deeper. On November 7, 2011 he used heroin for the first time. On April 30, 2014 he had been clean for 6 months. At 2:22 a.m. on May 1st Erik used. He died immediately.

She started smoking weed in middle school (frustrated that her parents sent her from public to private school; she never related to the "rich spoiled kids" she met there...) Her addiction then progressed to pills and then heroin. She was in and out of treatment programs from age 15 until she died right after her 30th birthday. She tried so hard so many times but the addiction was much stronger than she was.

Ephraim was introduced to marijuana while in 8th Grade at Catholic Academy in Buffalo, NY. He then moved to the Clarence, NY area where he was introduced to other drugs. In 2003 he was in a car accident and was given a prescription for opiates for pain. He quickly fell into abusing them and in 2005 he was found deceased by an overdose of poly pharmacy.

Within 6 weeks of beginning college, Heroin found my son Emmett and for lack of any better word, he became enslaved by this drug. It dictated how his money was spent, how his time was spent, even when he saw his family & friends – Em was no longer a free person. As parents, we did EVERYTHING in our power to help our son –unfortunately, because he was 18yrs old and still living what appeared to be a “normal” life to outsiders (great grades, never in trouble with the law, no threats of violence) our options was extremely limited. Beyond two “spin-dry” detox stays (the second of which Em signed himself out of early), treatment wasn’t deemed “medically necessary” by our insurance company – and the $30,000 price tag was financially prohibitive for our family. And so this horrible dance with the dragon continued – Emmett lied, he stole, he manipulated those around him – worst of all he shut out his father & I – I knew in my heart that this wasn’t MY son, this was his disease. Heroin had found him…and within 18 short months…it killed him.