The Addict’s Mom announced their nationwide campaign, Lights of Hope, 2015. They will be honoring and supporting those whose lives have been shattered by addiction and remembering those lost. Ceremonies will be hosted by local chapters throughout the United States. On Sept. 13, candles will burn bright as beacons of hope for the 22.7 million Americans addicted to drugs.
The Addict’s Mom hopes to highlight:
- The lack of available resources specifically structured to care for, curtail, and combat addiction issues.
- Campaigns for foundations, such as hospitals, to increase their efforts in treating those plagued by addiction.
- Information that is available to those struggling with addiction about where they can receive help.
- The fact that recovery is possible.
- The need to never lose hope.Lights of Hope is an offer extended to all to step out of the shadows of shame and stigma and raise their voices as one by lighting three candles to spotlight September as National Recovery Month. One candle represents those in active addiction, the next celebrates addicts in recovery, and the last speaks for those who have perished. Together the tapers embody the hope that one day this national epidemic of death and despair will end.
An extremely painful and private battle, most addicts and their families suffer alone. Enter Barbara Theodosiou. When she found out that two of her four children had fallen prey to addiction, she knew she had to do something. That something was to announce, very bravely, to the world that she was an addict’s mom and she was not going to hide in shame, but she was going to be there to help every mother like her cope with this beast that was destroying her. Her crusade, now called The Addict’s Mom, a burgeoning Facebook community, is a home for many–a place where mothers share their hopes, fears and grief without shame.
“It shocks me. It crushes me. It steals my soul. There are no breaks, no holidays, there is no solace here. All I can do now is tell his story to the world in the hopes that I am able to make the smallest change in a broken system that houses the mentally ill in violent jails,” Theodosiou shared.
She’s not alone anymore. The Addict’s Mom, now 30,000 strong, takes pride in bolstering battered spirits, sharing the miniscule amount of community resources available, and offering support where once there was none—a huge victory
The event is scheduled to be held at the Running Bear Park, at 2601 S Story Road in Irving on Sept. 13 4 – 6 p.m. in their quest to share without shame and cast away the chains of stigma which continue to keep us prisoners of sorrow and secrecy.  Follow the signs in the park to the facility they are using. For more information: www.Addictsmom.com or barbara@theaddictsmom.com or 954-309-0992.
