SIDNEY — A standing room only crowd packed the Mount Zion Church, 324 Grove St., in Sidney Friday evening, March 24. Some came to talk … most came to listen, and in a somber atmosphere those in attendance watched quietly as one person after another shared stories about a common enemy, a monster, a heartless adversary that has a grip on many people living in Sidney, the surrounding county, and around the world — heroin. Though sharing stories of heartache their voices also resonated with hope and encouragement for those dealing with addictions as well as for those whose lives are affected by association with the addiction.
The meeting was directed by guest speaker Billy Pfaff, or “Billy from Boston,” who came to share a message of hope with the audience. Also known as “The Opioid Warrior” Pfaff is no stranger to hopelessness. He knows addiction can be a brutal and unforgiving place, and he has vowed to make the world a better by lessening the shame associated with addiction through education and support. He noted drug addiction knows no social status, age, gender or race and that everyone with a problem deserves help.
“Anybody who has a heartbeat matters, way too often people with addictions are viewed as bad people, this is just not true. They are just people with a problem, and they need help!,” he said. His opinion is based on experience.
Years prior to his work as a counselor Pfaff suffered a bad turn with his health as a result of work related injury. He wound up with no job, no home, no money and no hope … his world came crashing down in 2010. He became destitute and was forced to live on the streets where he collapsed into a deep depression. If that wasn’t enough, he next learned his best friend died of a heroin overdose on his birthday after four years of “living clean.”
Time passed and once again tragedy struck, this time it was his daughter’s boyfriend would also die of an overdose. Pfaff sought help at a local health facility and was put on a powerful medication, however, it did not render the desired effect but instead had adverse effects on him, he became depressed and suffered extreme mood swings that drove him to the point of attempted suicide. He then realized that if change would come, it needed to start with him.
After nearly taking his own life and losing those closest to him, Pfaff made a decision to pick up the pieces and try again. With help from some friends he pursued a dream of opening and operating a tattoo studio.
“I worked long-hard hours fixing up that place,” he said. “I sanded the floors by hand, painted the walls and made all the necessary improvements to pass a Board of Health inspection. My friends helped me all they could” but success did not come as quickly as the bills and before long, no matter how hard he worked, he found himself on the brink of financial failure.
“I had just enough money left to buy a loaf of bread and some peanut butter or a pack of cigarettes“ he said, “I had to eat but that bread and peanut butter (which) was nearly gone in a week. Still when I woke up each morning I kept the faith that something would happen …. and something did!”
One morning the phone rang, a representative from a trade union he once belonged to notified him that they had discovered a substantial windfall in his name and that he needed to come to their office and discuss the matter. It turned out that the unclaimed funds were about 10 times what he expected to receive and the extra money helped him survive until business picked up.
Pfaff was on his feet again but he could not shake the sorrow of lost loved ones or the tombstones he saw in the eyes of the hopeless addicts walking the city street. He knew had to do something to help his fellow man.
More time passed and Pfaff started sharing his message of hope with others.
“I knew if I could do it they could too, they just needed some help, they needed to know somebody cared,” he said “I told them not to give up; positive draws positive, if you wake up thinking you’ll have a bad day, you probably will.”
Though the message was simple Pfaff also realized he was just one person and that there had to be a better way to reach people, then it hit him.
“One day while reading a post on Facebook I was thinking about the negative effects of the social media and how much hatred was spread on Facebook and Twitter, it is an epidemic. But I also thought about how I could use the same pages to promote hope for addicts and their families,” he said.
He set up a Facebook page offering help and almost overnight had over a million “likes” from all over the world.
“People do not understand the power of the social media, yes there is a bad side but I did not feed into that, instead I used it to help people, not tear them down, the response was overwhelming, and that’s why I’m here in Sidney,” he said.
Pfaff introduced several former addicts by their first name, each shared a two-sided story, a story of Hell on one side, and hope on the other.
First up was John, his opening statement was sobering and a common one among addicts.
“I never thought I would be the one, I never grew up thinking that someday I was going to stick a needle in my arm. Everyone thinks that’s what other people do, but I was willing to give up everything, even my family, I would leave the house for days at a time leaving my loved ones to wonder where I was and if I was alright, if I was still alive; it was terrible! I’m fortunate to be living and so thankful I never got that fatal dose. I just wanted to die but my family stood behind me, not everyone has that kind of support. It was so hard to quit but by the Grace of God I finally said ‘I’ve had enough.’ God is my higher power now, if not for him, I’d still be using or lying in a cemetery! I went through it all; jails, hospitals, detox centers you name it but never found hope until I learned about the 12-Step Substance Abuse Recovery Program which I applied to every part of my life.”
Next came Jessica from Canton, Ohio. As she approached the pulpit in the small church the carried two photographs and a Pittsburgh Steelers ball cap, she also carried a tin canister sporting the Steelers logo under her arm; the can contained the ashes of her late husband Mark. She plans to spread his ashes in the river while releasing a number of colorful balloons to commemorate the event.
“It all started with a friend asking ‘Do you want to do a line?’ A year later he was sick … and hooked. Sadly out of desperation I enabled him to continue down the road to destruction, eventually it took everything we owned. Mark would writhe in pain telling me his bones were like ice and his skin was on fire, at that point I would do anything to ease his torture.
Mark had a good heart, but fell victim to addiction, a problem he could never rise above, one that would take his life.
“It was Christmas time, I had left the house to run some errands when I got a phone call from my son who was used to the mayhem but sounded scared. ‘Mark is on the bathroom floor and he’s turning blue’ my son said,” said Jessica. “We called 911 but by the time help arrived it was too late, Mark was gone!’’
Though moved to tears Jessica noted that the pain of his passing also planted a seed of hope.
“I’m now enrolled in college and studying to by a counselor, I will soon be helping other overcome the illness that took my husband’s life.”
Stories continued as 63 year-old Gary talked about being clean for 5 years. Drugs and alcohol were just a part of life growing up, he and his four brothers followed in their footsteps and it was no surprise when Gary’s three sons fell into the same pit of despair. “I had to fight and struggle all my life, I hated authority and fought against it and I paid the price!” A smile came to Gary’s face as he spoke of his salvation. I finally wound up in detox and who did I ask for help … God! Thankfully I have a very loving and understanding God, and it’s a good thing he is patient because I’m a slow learner! Good people can make bad decisions, we all have obsessions, some worse than others. Drug addiction is a sickness, and sick people do sick things. Thankfully I’m not ashamed anymore, I accepted the fact I have a problem. I am living proof that recovery does work.”
Former school teacher and Sidney Police Officer Mike McRill spoke briefly on efforts to curb drug abuse in Sidney.
“I sure wish this wasn’t a part of my job, I wish I wasn’t need for this. Counselling is the biggest game in town and I wish we were better equipped to deal with the problems at hand. We need a place for immediate help, right now we’re just doing the best we can with what we have, and it isn’t enough,” said McRill.
He said Sidney United Methodist Church operates the Samaritan House, a community house with a sober environment equipped to house six men and six women. McRill also pointed out that he and others will always be there to offer another “second chance.”
“We’ll give people as many chances as it takes, and I want to emphasize that ‘All lives Matter’… everyone deserves to be helped,” he said.
Others spoke as well each sharing a story of hope. Aaron Frohna, a local counselor reminded the audience of the upcoming “Rock the Difference for Heroin Awareness” a rock festival scheduled for May 6, 2017, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. The music festival will benefit the Shelby House/Miami House recovery homes and community housing in Darke, Miami, and Shelby Counties. Donations are encouraged. For more information contact Aaron Frohna at 937-622-8859. Frohna suggests those wanting to help like and share on Facebook.com/rockthedifference.
In closing Pfaff invited guests to help themselves to brochures and pamphlets on display in the church basement and to ask any questions concerning how they can help.
“We have a killer-freaking-nightmare on our hands, society is broken. On top of the heroin epidemic e are dealing with a synthetic drug (fentanyl/car-fentanyl) that is 10,000 times stronger than heroin. There are 40,000-plus addicts in Ohio alone and each one is dealing drugs to support their habit,” said Pfaff,” who noted the majority of heroin addicts are afflicted with Hepatitis C, and are HIV positive and that sharing needles is “spreading the diseases like wildfire.”
The Opioid Warrior said those wanting more information on how they can overcome addiction or help others are invited to contact him at “Opioid Warrior” on Facebook, phone, 844-437-6465 or email him at [email protected]
