ATLANTA -- The heart of “Inside the Triangle” comes from several moms who discovered the inexplicable pain of losing a child. But these brave mothers are choosing to turn their pain into progress by dedicating their time and effort towards stopping the spread of heroin.
Missy Owen lost her son Davis to a heroin overdose on March 4, 2014. Davis Owen was a standout student, President of his Senior Class, and an active volunteer. Heroin addiction claimed his life the age of 20. Shortly after the death of her son, Missy Owen founded the Davis Direction Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at bringing about awareness and change by fighting the stigma of heroin and opiate addiction.
Soon, the Davis Direction Foundation will open a Recovery Community Organization in Cobb County called The Zone. It will be a center for those in recovery to take part in social events, recreational activities, educational training, and find rehabilitation services. Through the Zone, the Davis Direction Foundation aims to raise awareness, prevention and education, as well as facilitating harm reduction and encouraging recovery. "We believe that connection is what is necessary. So we are trying to provide a community club house of sorts where we support each other in recovery. It doesn't matter what kind of recovery you are in. We'll support you, we'll be there for you, we'll help you find services,” Owen explained.
For more information visit: www.davisdirection.com
Robin Elliott refused to let the stigma of heroin stop her after her son Zack lost his battle with addiction on May 1, 2011.
“There’s so much shame and guilt associated with your child dying of an overdose, when my son died I made the decision I wasn’t going to let that stop me,” Elliott said. She now works to make a difference as a board member of Georgia Overdose Prevention. The group’s motto is: “If they’re still alive, there is hope.”
Georgia Overdose Prevention helped spearhead the passage of the Georgia 911 Medical Amnesty Law in 2014, which allows people to call for help in an emergency, without the fear of prosecution. Georgia Overdose Prevention is also key instrumental in handing out Naloxone Kits. The life-saving medication can be used to reverse a heroin or opiate overdose.
For more details, check out: www.georgiaoverdoseprevention.org
Watch the full episodes of Inside The Triangle here. Episode 5 focuses on hope. We taped that episode after getting feedback from these mothers. Watch the episode of hope here.
