CT survivors say overdose deaths have everlasting impact on families of people with substance abuse addictions

Kass Kruh knows the effects of substance abuse and overdoses all too well. The 26-year-old lost both of her parents, Melissa and John, as a result of drug overdoses in her young life.

Kruh, an executive assistant to Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon , spoke about her experiences at an event at Connecticut State Capitol this week as a part of International Overdose Awareness Day , which will be officially recognized on Saturday.

“Children of addicts have the odds stacked against them,” Kruh said. “Although we come from diverse and different backgrounds, there is an undeniable common thread. We do not get talked about enough, and we often suffer in silence.

“Growing up my deepest fear was losing my parents to the very thing that consumed them. Addiction was a constant shadow over my childhood,” she added. “It forced me to take on responsibilities far beyond my years. Around the age of 9, I developed a routine of staying up late on school nights after my mom had been drinking just to make sure she was still breathing.”

Kruh, who grew up in Naugatuck and lives in Cromwell, said any meaningful sober conversations she had with her dad were often within the walls of a rehab center or during supervised visits.

Kruh lost her mom in 2017 when she was a sophomore in college.

“My deepest fear had come true when I found my mom unresponsive in our apartment,” she said. “She had passed away from an overdose and my entire world was turned upside down. I had to make many decisions I was not ready for at the age of 19, including the decision to stay in school even though I had just lost the most important person in my life.”

Two years later, she lost her father.

“Parent overdose death can have an everlasting impact on their child, young and old, and yet there is still so little data on children who have lost a parent in the United States,” Kruh said. “From what we do know, more than 325,000 children in our country lost a parent to an overdose between 2011 and 2021. Our experiences are crucial in understanding the full impact on substance abuse disorder. Our voices need to be uplifted and heard.”

Kruh had a number of family members in attendance for her emotional speech.

Brian Guyton, the volunteer manager for Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery ‘s Danbury Recovery Community Center, talked about his own recovery journey.

“What that means for me is that I have not used alcohol or other drugs since Aug. 10, 2021,” Guyton said. “I’ve been affected by friends and family members who have had overdoses who are not here with us today.

“That being said, I’m grateful to be alive today because I’ve had my own experiences with overdosing and vivid memories of coming to and going back out,” he added. “First responders surrounding me and trying to keep me awake, catheters, mechanical ventilation, oxygen and luckily surviving. Only through the grace of God and the transformation of the recovery process I’m here today.”

Guyton, who turns 30 next month, said at CCAR he started to feel recovery was possible. He said he entered as a shy, timid and lost individual but started feeling more optimistic about his future after meeting mentors and role models.

“Being able to go to the recovery community centers was a haven for me,” Guyton said. “I was finally allowing myself to receive new information to enter it in my brain instead of shame, regret, remorse and low self-esteem all playing in my mind.”

Now, in his role he is facilitating meetings and offers telephone support to those in need.

“I can relate to those who are going through what I did,” he said.

Connecticut lawmakers including Scanlon and Attorney General William Tong , as well as Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam spoke about their fight for those struggling with substance abuse disorder.

“We are taking this opportunity to kick off this week to recognize and mourn those in Connecticut and across the country that we have lost but fight like hell and resolve ourselves to fight like hell for those still living and still fighting with this disease,” Scanlon said.

Scanlon said this week is about mourning those who were lost in the state, including 1,300 in 2023.

“We are also here today to say loud and clear to the people of Connecticut help is out there and if you need it we are here to make sure you get that help,” Scanlon said. “Do no wait. Do not hesitate. Do not be afraid to come forward because we may be able to help you save your life and there will be one less person next year to mourn the loss of.”

Tong said overdoses are the worst public health crisis in the country.

“As long as I’m Attorney General I will be working on this,” Tong said. “We are trying to abate the crisis that cost Connecticut more than $10 billion every single year in economic damage and costs upwards of 1,400 to 1,500 lives every single year. That’s 1,400 to 1,500 families who get wrecked by the worst health crisis in America.”

Tong recognized the first responders, including many from the Hartford Fire Department who were in attendance on Monday, for being on the front lines of this crisis every day.

Tong said he consults with survivors, including Liz Fitzgerald and Christine Gagnon who both lost sons to the opioid epidemic, before making big decisions on settlements and lawsuits.

“I leaned on Liz and Christine on all of the cases we have brought the last few years,” Tong said. We have recovered approximately $50 billion from the opioid and addiction industry. Now tens of thousands of dollars are flowing into Connecticut being administered by the opioid settlement advisory committee.”

Tong said the money will go out to prevention and addiction science and the lion’s share of the funds are going to services.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars will flow into the state on settlements over the next 18 years,” Tong said.

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Nancy Navaretta said she speaks every day with families that have experienced loss over addiction.

“The stories deeply affect me,” Navaretta said. “This crisis has claimed far too many lives. It has also brought us together in the shared commitment to fight back, to educate, to support and to heal. We are here today not only to remember those no longer with us but to reaffirm our collective determination to further prevent tragedy.”

Navaretta said the state has had two straight years of decreased opioid overdoses. She said that education and making naloxone more widely available are important steps to continue the decrease.

“We need to ensure that those who need help access it without judgment or stigma,” Navaretta said. “We also want to use language that promotes understanding and compassion rather than shame and blame. … Together we can bring about real change and make opioid awareness day not only a day of remembrance but also a day of hope. It reminds us that every life is worth fighting for.”