Today seems to be the day for the blogging to begin. The announcement today at the 2nd Annual Faces of Drug Abuse Conference in Lexington, KY that the blog was regularly updated really put the pressure on to get with it.
It was my privilege to be the keynote speaker at the closing session of the conference. I was honored to be listed among most impressive keynote speakers who were part of this 2-day conference. You may want to read about them on the conference website.
There were close to 200 people in attendance at the last session even though the weather in Lexington this morning was not the best and some attendees had left for home. The audience was a good representation of professions and people working in the field of substance use disorders, very attentive and most gracious. Due to the inclement weather, there were many who left immediately after my presentation. However, there were several people who came up to offer their condolences for the lose of Casey and most of them also had questions about how they or someone in their family could help a loved one. While it is discouraging to hear that after 6 years there are still people who have never heard of Casey's Law, I am always grateful that now they do.
It is always emotionally draining to relive Casey's addiction and revisit all the barriers we faced in trying to get him the help he needed. However, it is also always a blessing to have the opportunity to talk about Casey. As I said today, he will always be my son and I'll always be his mom.
I would once again express my thanks to the presenters and sponsors of this conference. This event offered a great opportunity for learning about the dangers of drugs, prevention strategies, intervention tools, and treatment and recovery resources. That's a good thing.
It has always been my experience that when people of like mind come together in one place there is an energy generated that just can't be duplicated any other way. I hope that those present were encouraged, rejuvenated and that their resolve to make a difference was strengthened as mine was today.
Until next time. . . .
Peace,
Charlotte
Casey's mom
