It’s time to start showing those walking in victory over addiction to give others trapped in its snare some real hope.
Last year, Erika Hurt went viral for all the wrong reasons. She overdosed in her car in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Hope, Indiana with her infant son crying in the backseat. As Fox News reported, police arrived at the scene to find her unconscious and with a syringe in hand. She was revived with Narcan and taken to the hospital but not before officers took a photo of the incident. It was eventually published in an effort to show the dangers of heroin and opioid addiction, and the image came to serve as a heartbreaking yet defining illustration of the crippling national epidemic.
That viral picture happened one year ago this month, and after much consideration, Hurt decided she wanted to share the image once more—this time, on her own terms. In addition to the original image, she took to Facebook to post an adorable picture with her son and a more recent photo of herself looking happy and healthy. More importantly, she shared the wonderful news that she is one year sober.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1823833967635986&set=a.301657219853676.80684.100000282020969&type=3
Hurt explained that in publicly revisiting “the absolute worst moment” of her life, she hoped she could shed an important light on the grim reality of addiction but also the promise of a better life for those willing to seek help. She wrote:
I’ve seriously debated for the past month, on whether I should repost such a painful picture displaying the absolute worst moment of my life. I’ve clearly decided to go ahead with my choice. As you all know, I overdosed in my car at a parking lot.. Yes, with my precious baby boy inside the car with me.. but what you may not know is, that overdose happened one year ago TODAY! I’ve decided to repost the picture simply because it displays exactly what heroin addiction is. Also because I do not want to ever forget where the road of addiction has taken me. Little did I know that day, my life was about to change, drastically. Today, I am able to focus on the good that came from that picture. Today, I am a mother to my son, again. Today, I am able to be grateful to actually have solid proof where addiction will only lead you, and today I am able to say that I am ONE YEAR SOBER! I have thousands of shout outs, too many to list. Just know that I DO NOT tackle recovery alone, I have a very large group of supporters standing behind me each and every day to help make sobriety possible for me!
As Faithwire has reported, the the heroin and opioid crisis sweeping the United States is tragically tearing families apart, overburdening local police and hospitals, and claiming the lives of people of all ages. Last week, President Donald Trump declared the epidemic a national public health emergency and reminded the American people that we have an obligation to one another to work through the madness.
“As Americans, we cannot allow this to continue,” Trump said in a White House press conference. “It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction. Never been this way. We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic. We can do it.”
While recovery from addiction is no easy road, people like Hurt inspiringly prove that anything is possible.