Taking pride in their recovery

By SHAWNE K. WICKHAM New Hampshire Sunday News

They are anonymous no more.

Hundreds gathered on the State House lawn Saturday to celebrate their recovery from substance abuse. Young and old, they stood together to remember those lost, honor those saved and pledge to fight for better treatment and prevention programs.

The state's first We Believe in Recovery Rally had a festive air, with dozens of purple and white balloons and upbeat music blaring form loudspeakers.

Those who have been in recovery for 10 years or more donned purple sashes to form a special "honor guard," and there were plenty of hugs to go around.

But there was also a sense of shared grief when Susan Markievitz of Windham, who introduced herself as "the addict's mom," talked of her son Chad's struggles with addiction and recovery.

She read from his last journal entry: "I'm going in full force this time. I'm going to fight this demon ... I'm going in with a lot of rage, guilt and shame. I hope to come out with a little courage, hope and faith."

Instead, on July 28, four days after her son's 25th birthday, Markievitz called upstairs to awaken him and got no answer. "I walked up those stairs with heavy feet thinking, "Oh my God," and yes, I found my son, gone to heroin."

"He had a lot of hope, he had a lot of courage but not enough courage to kick that habit," she said. "It took just one little dose of heroin to take my son's life."

Donna M., founder of the support group Families Sharing Without Shame, spoke of New Hampshire parents sending their teen-aged children to out-of-state treatment facilities because there are none available here.

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Taking pride in their recovery