Living a Nightmare: The heroin epidemic hit home for Noreen Beck, whose 24-year-old son Rob died of an overdose in October 2015.
Never Forget: Noreen Beck holds a photo of her son Rob, who she said was a good student and athlete. Rob died of an overdose in October 2015.
From Addict to Asset: Chris Hocker spent 15 years using drugs and stealing to support his habit. He was in and out of jail, and even attempted suicide. But after reaching a point where he was sick of who he had become, he turned his life around. He now helps addicts and is an intensive outpatient case manager at Shoreline Behavioral Health Services in Conway.
Chris Hocker mug shot from 2007
The Calm After the Storm: Janice Wright Collier remembers the days wondering why her son Joe Wright was spending enormous amounts of time in the bathroom, why he never had money and why she could never seem to find a spoon in her kitchen—he was using them for his habit. Joe is now off drugs and doing well and Janice works to support mothers who face similar situations.
Support Without Shame: Janice Wright Collier finds support and helps others through The Addict’s Mom, a group of mothers who support each other during and after a child’s addiction. Their goal is to share without shame by removing the stigma of having a child addicted to drugs. Collier’s son was addicted to drugs but is now clean.
Trying to Move On: Noreen Beck has found comfort and courage to share her heartache and story without shame through The Addict’s Mom, a support group for mothers of addicts. “It’s something you never get over. I can move on, but there are times when I have very bad days. You can move on, but you are never the same person.”
A Helping Hand: Janice Wright Collier helps other mothers with children who have struggled with addiction and urges officials to take action to crack down on the growing heroin epidemic in Horry County.
