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

Joe struggled, especially the last few years of his life. He was doing well and was clean about four months before that moment of weakness.

Darren always seemed to be trying to find a peace that was so elusive to him.

Amanda's biggest struggle was with alcohol. She tried over and over to stop but could never stay stopped for very long. Once they told her that she would need a transplant, I think she gave up and decided to speed things up. Her drinking picked up even with multiple attempts to quit.

His struggles started with steroids then pain killers and every drug available. It was when he got on heroin that he really went down hill. After exhausting our rehab resources in Pennsylvania he went to Florida under the advice of the last rehab he was in here in PA. Things got worse down there and he was constantly in and out of jail and rehabs.

Struggled for a few years in and out of rehabs. Legal issues because of her addiction. She fought hard against her addiction but in the end heroin won the battle? We chose to put in her obituary that she had died from her addiction. The stigma must end!!! Lauren was living in a recovery home when she passed away. They now have a scholarship in her honor and memory!! She touched so many lives & tried to help others in recovery....She just couldn't help herself?

Dillon tragically lost a brother to suicide. This was something that he was unable to deal with emotionally. He began using drugs to numb his broken heart. He eventually turned to heroin. Dillon was in multiple rehabs and sober living environments, but he just could not handle the pain in his heart. He would always return to the drugs. After a 90 day stay in jail, he came home and was finally clean. He was free from heroin for 6 months at the time of his death.

My father had his first drink of alcohol at 12 years old. Throughout his life, he was able to get sober for a month here, a year there, but ultimately his addiction pulled him back in. While in his addiction he lied, cheated, and stole. He was homeless more often than not, and many times out of his own choice. The man with the bottle was a night and day difference from my father when he was sober. My father preferred alcohol and would drink anything that could get him drink. Mouthwash, hand sanitizer, you name it, he tried it. He also struggled with drug addiction throughout the years.

Truly's struggles started 8 years ago. She did have 2 years sober in those 8 years but after her relapse she just couldn't seem to beat the disease. She put up a fierce fight all the way to the end. Unfortunately, the substance abuse won :(

Initially developed an addiction to pain killers for a genetic spinal condition, and after her divorce in 2010, met others who used street drugs and began a spiral into full blown addiction. She received inpatient treatment in 2013 as a result of court involvement, finished treatment but did not change her lifestyle of people, places, and things, and repeatedly relapsed as a result. Finally in January 2016, she needed to truly change as she moved her teenage son back into family home but again kept in contact with her old friends and made a fatal mistake of relapsing on pure fentanyl the morning of July 13 2016. Before 2010 she was the least likely person to have used any type of drugs having witnessed the carnage of active addiction in her family. Even knowing this and having friends, cousins, uncles, and stepparents die from the effects of addiction she still fell prey to its lure and was not able to overcome it's hold. A momentarily lapse of judgement and reason took her away from the son who loved and adored her and the many friends and family that held hope that she would be able to overcome her addiction. She is missed by those who knew and loved her and believed in her potential to overcome the addiction and battle the mental illness of depression and chronic pain that led her down the path to her senseless death.

Anthony didn't use very long, or very often. He started using pills with a girl he was dating. Eventually the pills were too expensive and not enough, so he started shooting heroin and fentanyl. Just one and a half years in, he was in tears over his struggle. Asked for help, but was turned away by the time we found a bed in a detox because he tested negative for heroin and the place wouldn't test for fentanyl. He tried to stay away from it, but he passed away just a few months later.

Joshua kept his struggle hidden, it wasn't until just before he passed away we learned of it.

Melanie began drinking & smoking pot in her junior year of high school. For some it is just a phase, but for Melanie & many like her, it becomes a deadly disease. She quickly moved on to other drugs. At the age of 22, she began smoking crack & lost everything. She worked very hard to get sober, regain custody of her son, & get a job. She did well for awhile but soon fell back into the old habits of going out, drinking, & smoking weed. At some point she tried Oxycontin & was in love which led to heroine. She went to rehab many times but her love of heroine & her need to be high was too strong, nothing seemed to work for any length of time. She could never get ahead of it. She hated the the life she was living, there were overdoses & suicide attempts. She tried Methadone & Suboxone. She was also on many prescription drugs. There was no long term treatment to deal with her addiction & mental health issues. On April 15, 2015 her life ended in a hotel room alone.

She hid her drug use well. It started with gateway drugs and progressed to heroin use. She encountered trauma and abuse. Co-dependency got her kicked out of her 1st treatment center. Her last attempt at rehab ended 5 months prior to her death.

Merrill had an extremely rough childhood and upbringing. This made him put up an emotional block to life, love, and emotions at a very young age. He then turned to drugs which just made everything worse; just trying to numb his pain. With the life that comes with addiction, Merrill began living the life of an addict and doing whatever it took to get his next high. He then was caught at the wrong place wrong time and was arrested and served a 6-year prison bid. Once he was released, we ended up back together, getting a house and pregnant with our first. A few months after Colton was born, no solution, the stress/pressure of a newborn, Merrill relapsed and it all went downhill from there. Again, in and out of jail and constant struggle. After multiple jail and prison sentences, rehab attempts, ODs, hospital visits, a restraining order and divorce, Merrill still struggled with the addiction that resulted in death.

He struggled with various substances throughout most of his adult life in a cyclical pattern. Ending a good period of sobriety in the worst way possible.

It was an up and down battle spanning over more than five years.

Earlier in life, she struggled with alcohol and nicotine addiction. She decided that her children were worth more than that so she decided to make the choice to quit.

Brian became addicted to prescription pain meds after a failed hernia surgery and back surgery. He couldn't slay the dragon and it eventually killed him by accidental overdose at home.

Began 5 years ago following the death of her first child, a stillborn. It began with Xanax and progressed to heroin.