By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – As of Tuesday, Monmouth County officially lost 100 of its residents to addiction in 2021 alone.
The disease does not discriminate. Drug overdoses can happen to anyone of any background, financial status, race or age. That’s why some 50-plus community members came together in Red Bank Aug. 31, on International Overdose Awareness Day, to let those suffering know they are not alone, their loved ones are not forgotten and the fight to end the stigma continues daily.
“Nobody, and I mean nobody, is immune from this epidemic,” said Monmouth County Commissioner Ross Licitra at the event. Licitra worked 30 years in law enforcement, 21 of which were in narcotics. “I’ve seen the horrors that narcotics brings not only to the people who unfortunately lose their lives, but the devastation that happens to their families.”
The solemn program was hosted by Tigger House Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Lisa and Rick Stavola in honor of their late son “Tigger” who died from a heroin overdose in 2013. The organization now aims to help others like him through programs, education and outreach. The goal is to start teaching drug awareness to children in middle schools before they experiment in high school or later.
“That’s when they’re starting. My son was already dabbling in high school with pot and stuff,” said Lisa. “The kids that aren’t feeling good about themselves are just going to keep going further.
The evening kicked off outside Tigger House on Shrewsbury Avenue. Dressed in purple to represent overdose awareness, attendees heard from various speakers who introduced themselves and told stories about how addiction has touched their lives. One of those speakers was Rabbi Marc Kline from Monmouth Reform Temple who gave the opening prayer.
“We walk next to people every day who struggle or who have struggled,” Kline said. “I’m a survivor and but for the grace of God I wouldn’t be here today. We get caught up in the things that we’re doing in our life and then we find ourselves out of control.”
Elected officials also stepped up to the microphone, including Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, whose son died nearly two years ago after a battle with addiction.
“Nobody is removed from this. My son is almost two years gone. It happened right here in Red Bank,” he said. “So many people are addicted to medicine that has been prescribed and I think that we need to stop that.” That’s why he and others are currently working on legislation to address the issue. And although there’s been some pushback, they are moving forward with it, he said.
After several other speakers addressed the crowd – one who stopped by last minute on his 110th day clean of crystal meth – attendees took to the streets and marched through town to Riverside Gardens Park, past several purple flags which represent lives lost to overdoses. They held posters that showed the names and photos of whom they walked in honor of, including Nicole Dorrity, who walked for her two best friends who overdosed back-to-back in 2020. “They were amazing people,” she emotionally told The Two River Times.
Upon arrival at the waterfront park, attendees listened to live music and walked around to some of the resource tables set up before again sitting down to hear from other speakers, including Stavola; Carley Dietrick, addiction navigator with Tigger House Foundation; Sen. Vin Gopal; acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Lindskey; Monmouth County Commissioners Tom Arnone, Sue Kiley and Licitra; acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck; and more.
“It is remarkable being here in this park, in this beautiful setting, in this beautiful county – and to reconcile that with the knowledge that a place as beautiful and prosperous as this is also a place that has experienced so much pain and tragedy and loss and suffering,” said Bruck. “We know that there were folks who made opioids available to the public in a way that they should not have. We know that there were doctors who were prescribing indiscriminating and getting people hooked.”
However, while it’s important to hold people accountable for their wrongdoing, Bruck noted that at the attorney general’s office, “we all know that we are not going to arrest our way out of this problem,” he said. “I think we’ve seen over and over again that drug addiction is not solved through our prison system alone.”
Events like Tuesday’s are what could help rid drug addiction of its stigma and make it easier for those struggling to seek help, Stavola said. That’s why, for the first time, Monmouth County Commissioners declared Sept. 1 Stigma Free Day, said Commissioner Sue Kiley – whose son is in recovery and has been for nearly 10 years. She noted that she is very grateful for his accomplishments but that recover y is “a very slippery slope.”
“You live one day at a time. Tomorrow could be a very different day for my son,” said Kiley.
Anyone looking for help can visit Monmouth County’s stigma-free website, stigmafree-monmouth.org.
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 26 – Sept. 1, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
