SOLACE is an
acronym for Surviving Our Loss and Continuing Everyday… The mission of this
group is to reach people who have lost
loved ones to drugs, to help the addicted make changes to their lives and to
prevent future pain in the addict and family members. This initiative is
one of tragic loss and wings of hope, arising out of a mother’s grief over her
beloved
son’s death.
Wes Workman
(below) of Portsmouth, Ohio was an 18-year-old football star who was
very popular in his school and community. He was looking forward to attending
his senior prom that was less than a week away, as well as accepting his high
school diploma the following month. But tragedy struck, and his family was
devastated. Wes’s family joined over a hundred other families in
Out of her
grief, Jo Anna formed the support group SOLACE, and has since united dozens of
members who have become the catalyst to the mobilization of a community to
change legislation and rid themselves of nine pill mills that distributed
millions of prescription opiate pills in a single year.
Motivated by
their losses, SOLACE Portsmouth
members seek to end the crisis of prescription drug addiction in their
community by providing support to individuals and families affected by
addiction, advocating for policy changes, and mobilizing other communities to
affect their own change.
The goals of SOLACE Portsmouth are to: contribute to a recovery-oriented system of care within the community by collaborating efforts to build support for individuals recovering from their own or a loved ones’ battle with addiction; raise awareness about addiction and recovery in local communities; provide assistance and consultation to communities in order to develop support systems for recovering addicts and their loved ones; and to provide prevention services with a special focus on the needs of teenagers and adolescents.
