What do you hope to accomplish by being a part of this contest?

My hope is that I may stretch myself as an artist and affect a few hearts along the way.

 

People still seem to hold on to the stereotype that an addict is someone poor and wasting away in life, only thinking about another fix. How is that different then your experience? Unfortunately, drug addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer and it impacts people from virtually every walk of life and economic circumstance in New Jersey.

 

Do you think there is such a thing as recreational opioid use? Why or Why Not?  No. There is nothing recreational about experimenting with drugs that are extremely addictive.   

 

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Follow your dreams and not your peers.

 

What advice would you give to someone struggling with opioid addiction?

There is an abundance of help available to help you get and stay clean and sober.  Please let us help you.  You have value whether you believe it or not and you deserve better than to become a slave to drug addiction.

 

What do you think the solution is to the opioid epidemic? It would be multifaceted.   We need community out-reach, we need medical practitioners to review their own practices and how often they prescribe opioid pain killers.  We need law enforcement to make these drugs less accessible.   Families can teach their children to love and respect themselves.  All of that might prove to be a good start.

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