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

My son was so kind and loving. He fought this disease for so long. His brother and I tried to help and encourage him again and again. We were always there for him - always - driving him to meetings - to therapy - to anything and anywhere that would help him. I miss him terribly and am so so sad to know that his last month was so bad. He went into detox and then into rehab but because he had state insurance his care was subpar. He came out of rehab twice as sick as when he went in - and a week later he died. My heart is broken beyond repair and I feel for those who continue to struggle with this disease with no help - medically or mentally. The government should be ashamed of themselves. These are our children. They are hurting and lost and need our help and love. My God forgive those who ignore and judge for I don't forgive.

Lost Austina, aka Rooster, to endocarditis as a result of drug addiction. She had been sick for a long time, but you couldn't tell it. When she got sick she was in the hospital for about 5 days or so and was gone. She was a good person and had a big heart. I miss her dearly everyday.

He was a very loving son, brother, father and uncle. Had a very big heart. We love u.

My son. A dad, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin. Loved by all of us, his friends too.

My dad...the greatest man I ever knew.. we were ALWAYS close, 'til 2 years ago.. I knew his meds were getting out of hand but I don't think anyone else could see it.. He went through a lot of money and had nothing to show for it. He changed.. and i know it was the meds bc we were 2 peas in a pod for ever.. I love you, Dad. Miss you very much..

She was just 16. She was a very depressed and very emotional young girl and as she got older was fighting a lot of demons through her life of ups and downs. She got lost to addiction of drugs, several kinds of drugs... She just wouldn't break down and talk. She was so much like my sister and would bottle it all up inside 'til the breaking point, the early in the morning hours between 2 am - 9 am. My sister found her with a bottle of empty Tylenol in one hand and a needle in the other.. Worst call I ever had as an auntie. This young lady was as my own child, loved dearly.. Heaven gained an angel, we gained heartache.

Kyle was the smartest person I knew. While he was smart, he also was funny. He could make you laugh. He was my oldest son, but had no problem letting his friends know he was definitely a mama's boy. I love him dearly and my heart is forever broken. Gone but never forgotten. I miss you so much, and love you even more.

My 3 children. Loved and missed so very much. 3 gone in less than 4 years.

He loved his family and was a great dad and husband.

He was such a wonderful, fun, loving person who would do anything for anyone. He had a huge heart and loved life. I miss him deeply. I miss his big smile and huge blue eyes. He will never be forgotten.

Matthew had the biggest heart & would do anything for anyone. He loved his son very much & struggled daily with his addiction. He loved to hunt, camp, play his guitar and sing. He was a very talented man & most of all loved his family!

Michael was truly a special individual who helped me in so many ways the 3 years we were together. His sense of humor was contagious whenever he entered a room. His laugh and smile are what I miss the most. He had a way of helping me not be so serious and anxious by learning to enjoy the little things in life. I never thought I'd be living this life without my soulmate, and I've had to really dig deep to find joy in my life again. Michael struggled with addiction the majority of his life, while I didn't experience the hell of addiction until my mid 20's. When our paths crossed in 2015 we were both living a life of sobriety. We both saw each other's true potential. That next year we dated without the use of drugs. He became my person instantly, and my boys had that male figure they had so desired. I can tell you that people, places, and things played a huge part in our relapse. Unfortunately, this relapse sent him to jail for 5 months and then to rehab. I stuck beside him the entire time. I was his biggest supporter. I saw the potential in him and he knew he had it in him. But this disease is no joke. It only takes one moment, one rash choice, one bad situation for you to completely change your path. Our minds are so powerful and unfortunately for Michael the desire to get high won. Life can be so difficult, which is why it is so important to build a strong foundation when you begin your road to recovery. I lost my soulmate on November 26, 2018. I will never be the same. I lost my best friend that day and lost a big part of me that day. I truly didn't care if I lived once Michael passed. I just wanted to be reunited with my best friend. That overwhelming feeling of loss allowed my own addiction to become out of control. I was not going to stop because I did not want to face my reality. I was using the very drug that killed my best friend. I so desperately wanted the pain I felt to stop. In this process I caused so much pain to my kids, my family, and my close friends. I truly believe that after two overdoses, Michael intervened and saved my life. I was arrested on June 12, 2019 and spent 2 months in county, forced to sober up. The overwhelming feelings that soon came my way once that fog lifted were emotional, but as I felt these emotions I realized that Michael would not want me suffering like this. He always wanted me to be the best parent to my boys and that was not going to happen in active addiction. I decided to change my people, places, and things by moving. I'm forcing myself to deal with his loss with a sober mind. I've decided that I want to be a person he could be proud of. With a sober mind I now feel his presence more than when I was high. I will never forget the 3 amazing years we spent together, and one day I will see him again. I truly believe he will greet me with a smile saying, you did it... You figured out how to be happy in your life without having to resort to a drug to numb your feelings. After almost 9 years of battling this addiction, Michael's story has allowed me to find that peace I have desired for so long. I continue to miss him like crazy, but I find my strength to beat this disease through him. Thank you for saving me Charles Michael Brazzell. Until we meet again!

My daughter was beautiful. She had struggled with her addiction and she had gone away and done treatment. Then she got out and turned her life around, getting a job and doing everything she was suppose to be doing. Thought she was doing great. She was all smiles and everything. She had lived with my sister and on March 1st my sister went to wake her up for work that morning and found her. This was a shock to everyone 'cause there were no signs of her relapsing. She passed from fentanyl overdose.

My husband loved his family and friends. He would help anyone who needed help. He had a big heart. But he struggled with epilepsy his whole life and depression kicked in.

The most wonderful, caring soul. My son was my pride and joy! He was clean almost 2 years until using heroin on the day he passed. He battled addiction. I miss you so much and love you to the moon and back!!!

He was such a loving, caring family oriented man. My best friend. My ride or die. He was a wonderful person inside and out. He had a beautiful personality and would take the shirt off his back and give it to you. He never met a stranger. But his kids where taken and he couldn’t find them and he didn’t know how and it led to a life of very bad anxiety and addiction and at the age of 39 his liver shut down from years of misuse. God called my best friend home. Most horrible day of my life. He always told me I’ll kill for you and I’ll die for you. I miss him so much. R.I.P Benny save me a spot in heaven.

My daughter was a beautiful soul that struggled for the last 10 years with addiction. She did not die of an overdose, but from the abuse her body endured. I love and miss her terribly. Krista Nicole momma loves you more than you ever knew❤️

My beautiful mother struggled with mental illness and addiction for all of my life. She got sober so many times and then would fall back into old ways. It was heartbreaking to watch her struggle because she would have given me her last breath on earth when she was sober. For years, she was doing amazing and thriving in life. She helped me raise my son for the first seven years of his life and they were as close as close could be. A back injury led to pain killers and then to a downward spiral of alcohol and heroin use. My Mom went out on her own after divorcing my dad and met a guy who made her think she couldn't live without him. He ruined the rest of her life. She was in and out of jail, homeless, and even I had to cut her out of my life for a while because it was so toxic. She wasn't even at my wedding because she was nowhere to be found for months.
After her last arrest this year she went to rehab and was doing well, or so we thought. This man who ruined her had left the state and we were working towards rebuilding our relationship as mother and daughter. Then on her birthday she met up with this guy and went to the city to get high. My Mom overdosed and went into massive cardiac arrest on the train home, on her birthday. He left her for dead and by the time anyone noticed she was uncomfortable, she was already brain dead. I never got to say goodbye to my Mom, I never got to wish her a happy birthday this year, I never got to tell her how much I loved her that morning.
My beautiful mother is now at peace, I hope, and no longer struggling with her demons. I just hope she knows how much I miss her and thank her for making me the strongest person I know.

Dannyray was the sweetest man I know. My son battled addiction for most of his life and overdosed from methadone and fentanyl. Danny was a wonderful father and husband and son. He left behind 4 children ages 2, 3, 5, and 9 and a wife Rachel. He also had one brother and two sisters. If I could help save even one child from addiction I will feel I honored in my son's memory. We love and miss you son more then words could even say. RIP Dannyray forever 33....

Shane was my second born, but my first son. He had finally gotten sober but relapsed due to depression. He was finally getting his life back together. I miss him every day and would do anything to have him back. He was amazing at beat boxing! He had met an amazing girl who was pregnant and he was going to adopt the baby. She just had her daughter on December 5th and gave her my son's last name with my blessing. He would have made an amazing dad!