International Overdose Awareness Day: Fighting Against Drug Addiction

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day and residents of Washington County are showing their support for the families of those lost loved ones to drug overdoses.

A special walk called “a Light to Remember” will take place at Utah Tech University from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to support, educate, and bring awareness to what is called a statewide health crisis.

Coming from a personal standpoint, these types of events remind me of my brother, who passed away from a drug overdose in 2014.

His name was Preston Myers, and he was without a doubt one of the most kind and funny people I’ve ever known in my life.

Preston dealt with issues relating to drug addiction since he was a teenager, and it stuck with him until his death at the age of 26.

I will soon turn 27 in the coming weeks. The thought that I’ve lived longer than my beloved brother is heartbreaking to me, and that despair I feel is all thanks to illegal narcotics that rips apart families.

It doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t take prisoners, and it doesn’t feel sympathy. Make no mistake that being addicted to drugs is a disease.

My brother was kind, but when he fell back into old habits, his demeanor and motivations changed. It was like he was a different person.

When I hear about “a Light to Remember,” and I see the public go out and support this important cause, it feels like we may be able to save others from feeling the same pain that my family feels.

Thank you all for showing support to this important cause.