Liz Waters' son, John, battled substance abuse disorder and mental health issues from the time he was 16 to when he died in 2020 at the age of 38. As a mother, Waters spent those years struggling with how to help her son and how to handle her own feelings of grief.
“I remember how isolating this disease was, how lonely I was,” Waters said, explaining how she would spend hours scouring the internet for help. “I never want anyone to go through what I had to go through. There are more resources, but people don't know where to turn. They don't know what to do.”
Waters now serves on the board of atTAcK Addiction, a local nonprofit that provides education and support to people and families affected by substance abuse disorder. The organization was founded by Don and Jeanne Keister who lost their son, Tyler, to an accidental overdose in 2012.
On Wednesday evening, Waters and other members of atTAcK Addiction held a candlelight vigil in front of Old College Hall on Main Street as part of International Overdose Awareness Day.
“Since 2012, more than 4,200 people in Delaware have lost their lives to overdose. During International Overdose Awareness Day – and throughout the year – we honor and remember those lives, and the impact that those losses have had on family, friends and the entire Delaware community,” Don Keister said. “We are grateful that Delaware saw the first decrease in overdose deaths last year, and we join many other organizations, government agencies and treatment providers in working to continue that trend.”
In addition to honoring their lost loved ones, those gathered sought to educate University of Delaware students and others walking by about addiction and available resources.
They also wanted to make sure students are aware of Delaware's 911 Good Samaritan Law, which allows people to seek medical attention for someone overdosing without risking prosecution for possession of drugs or alcohol.
“If you're at a party, someone's in distress and you're all doing something illegal, don't panic,” Waters said. “Dial 911 and save a life.”
Waters said it's also important to reduce the stigma of addiction.
“Our biggest thing is to reduce the stigma, educate the community and let people know it is a disease,” she said. “I firmly believe there's a genetic component to it and a mental health component, and it's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.”
She noted that family members of people battling addiction often think “If they loved us, they would stop.”
“That's like saying to a woman with breast cancer, 'If you loved us, you wouldn't have breast cancer,'” Waters said. “I think that's the thing society has to get through its head. It's not a choice, and a drug addict isn't having fun. They're not partying like a rock star.”
Dawn Sheehan attended the vigil in honor of her son, Earle VanBlarcom III, who died in December at the age of 32.
“It's important we recognize this is a disease, and we're losing too many,” Sheehan said, adding that too many people stigmatize addiction.“They think it's a choice or a moral failing. It's not.”
It's important to Sheehan that her son and others like him be remembered.
“They were loved,” she said. “They deserve to be honored, not judged for the way they left this world.”
For those in need of assistance, atTAcK Addiction runs a resource center in Peoples Plaza. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday, noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit attackaddiction.org, call 302-365-5221 or email info@attackaddiction.org.
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