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

He was a loving son and father and a great person. He was always helping others. I miss his hugs, kisses and the roses he always got me. Always in my heart and in my thoughts. R.I.P. until we're together again. Momma 💘 and misses you. xoxoxo

Charlie aka “Chuck" was my best friend.
He was my original other half because he was my twin. Growing up, we learned everything together from tying our shoes to riding our bikes. He was a very kind, sensitive brother. Although we were the same age he called me “ kid.” He always defended me and had my back. In fact he hated to see me cry. I guess I could say I was the same way with him. Unfortunately, he started with pot in high school and progressed to harder drugs. He hid it well and denied it till the day he died. I miss him everyday. He was found dead on Valentines Day. It’s a reminder to me to always tell those that you ❤️ that you do. Tomorrow is never promised. I love you bro.

The day I found out I was pregnant with Ricky was the happiest day of my life. The day the police came to my door and told me my son was found deceased was the worst day of my life. My son truly was a blessing and I am so happy that he chose me to be his mom I am forever grateful. I long for the day we are together again. I will give him the tightest hug and never let him go!!!!

My Jon Boy was a very intelligent, deep thinking, loving, and compassionate boy who grew into a man of great integrity but who never quite found his way here on earth. Jon could never seem to finish anything he started, high school, community college, the army, start up business, jobs. He was a dreamer much like his dad who had many mental health and drug issues as well. We divorced when Jon was three years old and Jon never really knew him. His dad died in an automobile accident after drinking and doing drugs all day with his older brother. His brother was driving the car. Jon was six years old when this happened. That is one of the things we shared, as I lost my father when I was six years old also. Jonathan was always showing his love for the people who meant the most to him. He adored his two young sons Stephen and Justin and his wife Bethany. Before the demon drugs took hold of him, Jon was always smiling and full of life. But then of course he became someone no one wanted to be around. He remained a loyal friend. My son and I had a very strong and unique bond. We had our differences but under it all the love was always there. He was my joy and I adored him as did everyone who met him. Jon lived in many places since moving out of our home at the age of 18 and was in the army on 9/11 when our world seemed to be crashing down. He did not fulfill his time in the army and was discharged with many other young men due to their drug use. We had not lived in the same state since he was about 21 years old. He moved around on the east coast a lot and ended up in Texas when he was 25. This is where he met his future wife. I think he moved away from us so that we would not know about the extent of his drug use. We had no idea he was using. We found out that Jon struggled with addiction from the time he was a teenager. He had back and neck issues and was prescribed Oxycontin back then and then moved on to all sorts of other drugs but ended up on heroin during his last few years on earth. He bought what he thought was heroin that turned out to be Fentanyl. I miss him so much and just wish others would understand that my son had a disease and did not want to become addicted or die. If I had it to do over again I would not have done the "tough love" route with him for the last two years of his life after I found out he was using heroin. I would have been more aggressive in getting him into recovery. I have guilt over this but I know he knew how much I loved him. If you have a child or loved one struggling just give them the emotional support and love they so desperately need. Not money, love and constant support is what they crave. Tell them how important they are and worthy of your love. Jon did not get any of that in the end and we all now regret turning him away, but as anyone who has someone with an addiction in their life knows, it is almost impossible to deal with their lying, stealing, anger, and distorted view of the real world on a daily basis. It's exhausting and a threat to our own mental and physical health. But they need our compassion because they are not the person we know, they have become the person the drugs have created. I will continue to honor my son Jonathan Justin Shea for as long as I am breathing here on earth and will never stop trying to bring awareness to others about the disease of addiction.

Kailey was a beautiful soul who loved without judgement of anyone. She would give whatever she had to others no matter if they were known to her or a complete stranger. She had found her true calling when she became a mom. She loved her daughter so much and was an absolutely amazing mom! She struggled with addiction and after a long period of sobriety had a relapse and died as a result. The impact she had on so many will go on even in her absence. You couldn’t have met her and not have been impacted by her. To me it’s not about how she died but about how she lived. I will miss and love her every day of my life

Tanner...what an amazing son, brother, cousin, friend!! This drug robbed us of all of his beautiful qualities!!

So caring and thoughtful

My sister was my best friend, my world. I loved her through her addiction and I love her still. The day I received the call altered my life and I truly, deeply miss her still. I will never forget her and what she meant to our family!

Tylet grew up playing sports and loved the Florida Gators. He was a goalie for the city league hockey team and was being recruited yo move on to the next level.. Tyler was a big brother to his younger twin brothers and they miss him dearly. I long for the day we see him again!

Tried to beat his addiction but it had a hold on him

Taken to soon from a heroin overdose 

When Bret was 13, he had a biking accident that severed his spleen in half. He was in intensive care for over a week after the surgery to save him. He was given diladid for the next year due to the pain and a recurring infection later determined to be MRSA. We later found out he developed an addiction to the opioid pain medications. He battled in silence and eventually turned to heroin. He entered rehab in March of 2015. May 19, 2015 he completed his court ordered rehab and came home. He overdosed on May 28, 2015. He left behind a mom, dad, brother, sister, and a niece and nephew. He was the sweetest boy and always was looking after everyone he came into contact with. The night he passed away, he gave me a big hug and said, "I love you, Mom." So thankful for the 20 years I had with him but so, so angry the drugs sucked the life out of him.

She struggled for about 5-6 years and finally went to rehab in CA. Was doing awesome, almost a year sober and then her so called husband whom she was sperated from bought a pill and he either slipped it to her or she took it. It was laced with fentanyl. Either way she didn't stand a chance to live. He was with her when she died.

Tommy’s addiction started with pain pills. When he couldn’t get them anymore he started snorting heroine. He fought hard and did stop using. He went to school and got his CDL to drive tractor trailers. He was doing so good. He and his girlfriend went out to dinner to celebrate his new job. They wound up drinking alcohol and got very drunk. They must have decided to buy cocaine. They were both found dead in their bedroom. It was not cocaine, it was 100 percent fentanyl. They knew about fentanyl and would never have used it. Whoever sold that to them didn’t care that it would kill them. My heart is broken.

My son, Kevin, was our second child and first boy. He grew up in a middle class family with his sister and two younger brothers. He loved the outdoors. He went camping, fishing, and hiking everyday, weather permitting, with his dad and siblings. Kevin excelled at ice hockey! His struggle with addiction started in his late 20’s and he died shortly after his 30th birthday. We are still working everyday to continue on after losing him.

Jonathan lost his mom to breast cancer when he was 11 and always felt like he had a hole in his heart. Jonathan’s smile could light up the room when he came in. He loved hanging out with his brother and nieces. He never thought that his problem was bad enough for treatment. He bounced from one drug to another until heroin finally took his life at 18.

He lived each day to the fullest and wasn't afraid to tell anyone how much he loved me. Waking up in the middle of the night just to tell me one more time that he loved me. That is one thing that I miss the most. He was so proud to be having our son.  I never thought Jay would only have 5 wks as a father before the day we lost jay. That day changed my whole life. 

Stephen was a kind and loving man, his addiction started in his early 20s and he was sober for a long time, but then he decided to do a bag and that one bag killed him. I miss everything about him, his voice, his jokes, and seeing him with his son. But most of all I miss his nightly text “I love you mom, goodnight talk to you tomorrow."

She was a very beautiful and special young lady who touched hearts of many that crossed her path. She was a very loving sister and daughter and not to mention a great aunt "rainy" to her nieces and nephews. She struggled with addiction to opiates and in the end she just couldn't handle life's struggles anymore and it ended up breaking her. It not only ended up breaking her in the end and she became a child of God that day, but it also hurt the ones she left behind. She is a beautiful soul that is hard to describe. She had a heart of gold and loved hard with all her heart. She is one of many who are unfortunate in the end but know she's also many who are looking down on us who suffer from addiction and she's my guardian angel as well as for many other family and friends. R.I.P. our beautiful angel, "rainy". It's not goodbye it's, "I'll see you later."