The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Loving son, grandson, brother and boyfriend. We all miss his sense of humor, elaborate stories and his kind heart. He was gracious and compassionate and would have given the shirt off his back to help someone in need.

Loved his family. He would of gave anyone his shirt off his back. Loved the outdoors and enjoyed his friends. All the kids loved him and he’d make the room spin when he was around, wasn’t a dull moment went by. Everyone loved him.

Brandon is our oldest child and our only son. He was a loving father to two beautiful children, a Big brother, a Grandson, Nephew and friend. Brandon struggled with fear and anxiety since he was very young and although he seemed to do well with it at times, he battled it until his death. Brandon started using as a teenager and was addicted by the time he was in his early twenties. He fought hard to stay clean. He wanted to be the Father his children needed.

Nine months before he died, Brandon entered a Christ centered rehab for 6 months. It was 5 hrs. from home so we could not visit as much as we liked, but it brought him closer to God and the men he lived with. He built relationships that were real. I could see in his eyes he was different.

When Brandon came home he started making plans to get his life back on track and I will always treasure the conversations we had those last three months. He found a job, applied to school and spent time with his kids.

Two weeks before his death he relapsed. He started falling into the same patterns, being around the same triggers. We confronted him. He apologized from his heart. It was different than the other times. Two weeks later it happened again. Three days later he was gone. We miss him so much. I truly believe a God carried him home so he wouldn’t suffer anymore. For this I am thankful.

My daughters and I belong to a support group and are learning to manage the grief we share. We want to be able to help others going through this madness and help end the stigma of addiction. We will continue to honor Brandon’s memory by telling his story.

Raymond Blaine...where do I begin!? You have so many people who love and miss you, it's unbearable. Its kills me every second that this disease took you away from us. You were and will always be the strongest person I've ever met, you just never taught me how to live my life without my heart. I'd give anything, my own life, if I could bring you back to be here for Little Ray, Bryan, and Hannah, and your whole amazing family. I asked god every single day, why you? Not me? You were "my rock". The Peanut butter to my jelly, now I'm broken.

Joey was a sweet, kind little boy with a heart of gold. His struggles began in high school partying with his friends. His friends were able to keep it together and get though school, Joey was not able to do that. He had to go to a program to get sober and return to school where he graduated in 1997 and went to St. Peters College for 1 year where his partying really took off again. He dropped out of school, moved to Florida, continue to party and went to jail for a year. He returned home a different person, he was hijacked by his addiction, refused help and really hit a bottom with nowhere else to go because he burnt so many bridges. He agreed to a halfway house, where I believe he was going to meetings, working and doing good. To my surprise he was on the same path of addiction again, only this time his consequences were hard. He went to prison for 6 1/2 years, where he swore this was not the life that he wanted, he had dreams of a career, marriage and children. Joey was released from prison in August 2015. Within 2 months he was right back to his destructive path. He went down fast. I watched that sweet, kind, good hearted kid become hard, angry and hopeless! And on August 2nd Joey was found with the crack pipe, dead from an accidental overdose of crack cocaine laced with Fentanyl. It was the worst day of my life, I will never be the same. Joey was my only child, held my heart and my soul and he took them with him the day he left this world. I miss him every minute of every day, love you always and forever my son ❤️

This is a story of my little girl. I miss her humor and smile every single day. A beautiful soul taken way too soon. I couldn't get a photo of her to paste, but, she was a smart, beautiful loving young lady. She was only 27 years old when she lost her battle with addiction. She lost her brother to the same demon 2 years and 6 months to the day after her brother Joey. She and Joey were extremely close and she couldn't get past losing him. She fell further in her addiction, trying things she never tried before and before I knew it she had suffered the same fate. My world was over, see I'm a recovering addict myself, and I couldn't help neither of my children. She was so full of life, a beautiful soul, taken way too soon. I miss both my kids very much, Samantha never had any children but her brother Joey left us his son, that he never met. He loved his Aunt Samantha, he means the world to me and they both live on in Joseph Michael Pierce Jr. I hope and pray for every mother who is fighting or trying to help an addict. May God bless you all.

My daughter was an amazing, funny, beautiful girl.. an excellent hairdresser. Suffered from carpal tunnel..and got a script for oxys when she was 21, I put her away at 25 yrs old for her 4th n last time.. she did beautifully for awhile, then the overdosing started. My daughter died 5 days before her baby girl Emma's 1st birthday.. Emma's dad Ryan, myself, our parents n family are n always will be devastated... she is so missed sometimes I cant breath! I tell Emma (who is now 4) all about her angel mom n always will.

Your chains are broken, you’ve been set free. Forever missed, forever loved.

Nick was a generous, loving, and talented person. He became a type 1 diabetic at the age of 10 and struggled to feel whole for the rest of his life. Nick relied on drugs to ease his anxiety and depression. He successfully rehabbed and stayed drug free for 6 years until relapsing and dying from diabetic ketoacidosis due to his substance use.

Let me tell you the story of my beautiful daughter Kirsten Nicole Yamaoka and our family's experience of strength and hope.
While growing up Kirsten didn’t say “when I grow up I’m going to be an addict someday.” She was a fun loving happy little girl dreaming of an amazing future. She loved life and was your instant friend. She was also an excellent student, talented athlete, giving daughter, and no roadblocks were in her way.
In middle school Kirsten hooked you with some “friends” that were not living a clean life. She began smoking, drinking, and smoking pot. This was the beginning of her decline. She was still the same beautiful young lady, but now battling depression, being a teenager, family addictions, and rape. Kirsten was introduced to Percocet (an opiate) which was bought from someone who had a prescription. Once engulfed in the opiate addiction and the hijacking of her brain she turned to heroin due to its easy access and cheap cost. Heroin controlled her whole life and began to control our family.
Our family struggled with her overwhelming addiction and the drama that was associated. We had to endure lies, anger, overdoses, jail, rehab, withdrawal, theft, and emotional and physical pain. We did everything possible to cure my daughter's disease of opiate addiction. This wasn’t to be.
Devastatingly, on March 1, 2017, my Kirsten died from an overdose of heroin. She was all alone in the back of her car. This was her 21st birthday. She had been sober for 6 months, had a great job at UPS, bought a car, graduated from drug court, and had her own apartment. From the outside everything looked great and this wasn’t expected. But the addiction to heroin, its brain changes, and its calling never stopped terrorizing my daughter. My heart is forever broken as I will never again get to tell her I love her, celebrate her victories, and watch her grow up. Kirsten forever loved and never forgotten ❤️❤️

My son Ryan found his soulmate Kendall when he was 15, she was 14.
They was happy as long as they was together. It was the best times in life for them and me!
She had medical problems and got an infection and he tried to stay with her, but he knew she was going to die and couldn’t watch her pass away. So he turned to drugs for the pain he was going through and he made a bad mistake one night. He mixed xanax and suboxone and it cost him his life. Six weeks later Kendall passed away from heartache.
But we know it was from a broken heart!
Now they are buried beside each other.
And forever together! He will be forever 21. And Kendall 20. Ryan loved his cat Riley and he had so many friends. They played their Xbox games. He loved life, just was lost when his love stayed in the hospital for most of the year. I miss you son. Love Dad

Stephen Robert Baer (aka Stive, Stee, Baer and Deet) was the most fun, humble, selfless, easy going, creative and loving father that my children, Ava and Talin, could ever ask for. He had a generous, Christ-like heart of gold who blessed literally everyone who crossed his path. Our hearts still ache as we mourn over the loss but rejoice that he is walking next to Jesus, our Lord in heaven. Steve struggled with addiction since he was a teenager. We never knew the extent of it and because of how extremely selfless and self-sacrificing he was. He spent so much time on others that he was unable to focus on fully healing himself of addiction, no matter how much he tried. Often times we would argue because I felt that he was being taken advantage of by people always asking him for his time, but he insisted he loved it and wanted to focus on others and not himself.
Addiction is a horrible, horrible thing and I thank God that my children always saw his love through it. Steve struggled to find rehab facilities that had room for him or that he could afford. It is such a hard thing to explain to children and I wish there was more education and awareness for everyone, but especially for loved ones. He may still be with us today if others were more aware and educated on addiction. Steve always said “Jesus loves you”, and people would chuckle or smile, but he meant it because he wanted everyone to know.
In memory of Steve Baer, and for my children Ava and Talin...Happy Valentines Day, Jesus loves you.

Christopher is pictured on the right with his brother. See also:  Brian McBride Morris.

Honest, loyal, loving and complicated is how Chris described himself.

Christopher had the heart of an artist and often expressed himself through his drawings and writings, which his friends described as "poetic".  

He was a man of faith and never wavered in that faith no matter how difficult things were. 

Brian is pictured on the left.
Brothers. See also: Christopher Lee Morris

Words that were used by others before his death to describe Brian.

An individual

Ability to use his individuality to lead others

Innocent smile

Brilliant mind

Genuine kindness

Ability of relating and communicating with others

Hard work ethic

Caring personality

Dedicated

Resilient

Loyal

Brian, oh, you are loved and so very missed everyday.

See also: Christopher Lee Morris

Andrew William Cohen passed away on December 21, 2017 at the young age of 26, from his ongoing battle with addiction. Born November 18, 1991, in New York City, he is survived by his parents, Kimberly Mixer-Coughlin and Brad Cohen, his Stepmother Kerry Durels, and his Stepfather Christopher Coughlin. He is also survived by his brothers, Max & Thomas Heiden, Brennan and Alec Coughlin, and Kyle Cohen, as well as his sisters, Niki Cohen and Elissa Coughlin and his surviving Grandparents, Charles Mixer and Martin and Annette Cohen.

Andrew grew up in Greenwich, CT and was a 2010 graduate of The Brunswick School. He will be remembered as an intellectual free spirit who left traces of his uniqueness in every person that he touched. His thirst for adventure and travel, love of music (notably his out-of-tune banjo), and zeal for defending those forgotten by society are only a few of the numerous ways in which his raw originality expressed itself.

Throughout his struggle, the intrinsic satisfaction he gained from helping others never waned. Andrew was an active volunteer at several non-profit organizations benefitting the homeless, abused, and displaced, including Food Not Bombs and Curry Without Worry. He helped so many people going through the same struggles.

Andrew was a firebrand whose passionate ideals grabbed one's attention immediately. He was not timid in expressing his views, and highly persuasive when doing so. He pushed boundaries, asked questions, and roused those around him not only to contemplation, but to action and change. His influence on others was felt in ways large and small. Whether convincing a friend to listen to a new genre of music for the first time, or making a fervent defense of the first amendment, his ability to leave a lasting impression was uncanny. As the editor of the Brunswick literary magazine, he challenged other students to think outside the box and beyond convention.

While a fierce defender of his own views, Andrew’s true allegiance was to equality, fairness, and a respect for the truth. The examples listed here are simply a few of the ways in which these noble and genuine beliefs manifested themselves.

His actions and convictions underscored the fact that, above all, Andrew was a supremely memorable one of a kind original.

Andrew now joins the growing list of sons, daughters, mothers & fathers who have been taken too soon by an epidemic sweeping our country and claiming over 60,000 lives each year.

Thanks for visiting.

I was with Chucky for 21 years. He was a great hockey player. One night while playing hockey he got smashed in the mouth with a hockey stick. He went to the dentist and started taking prescription OxyContin. That was the beginning of the end. So many years of ups and downs dealing with addiction. One night last August I found him in the bathroom of our home. It was too late to revive him. That site will forever be burned in my brain. It has been a horrible experience but it does not stop me from continuing my work as an addictions nurse. I pray for all the families and the people themselves struggling with this disease . God bless to all🙏

Destiny was a victim of human trafficking. She got addicted to drugs during this horrific time. She was found and went to treatment.
She tried so hard to stay clean and sober but succumbed to addiction. She will forever be 16 years old. February 09, 2020 was to be her 20th birthday. I wanted to honor her somehow besides just visiting her grave.
I will always love you Destiny and am still very proud of how hard you tried. Love, "Nani"

This is my son Joey. He had the biggest heart, he loved all of his family. He loved music, movies and video games. He was the most loyal person I know. He struggled with addiction for years, he was 29 when he passed. He also had a sister, Samantha, who also passed exactly 2years and 6 months to the day after him. They loved each so much. They relied on each other to be there for each other, and that was cut short. My life changed forever that day, and again when Samantha passed away. Please, if your kids are struggling, please get them help. See, I'm a recovering addict myself, and I couldn't help them. I love my kids very much, I hope no other mother has to experience this pain. May God be with you all.

Joey was a funny, intelligent young man whose life was cut short by his demons. He was 29 years old. Joey loved his family and would do anything for them. Joey was an addict who knew no way out. I tried to help him but I am also a recovering addict, so I could not help him. Joey also had a sister, Samantha, she too lost her battle with her demons. She was 27 years old, she died exactly 2 years and 6 months to the day after her brother. They were 5 years apart in age, but were extremely close, they relied on each other, then life happened. Please get your loved one help, you never know when that day will come.