LIMA — Kylie Craft knows the addiction of heroin all too well.
She’s a recovering addict who nearly died numerous times. She remembers waking in the hospital unaware how she got there.
It’s the reality of the ugly grip of heroin.
To bring awareness to it, a group of people held a rally in Town Square on Wednesday holding signs.
“This drug is really getting out of hand. I want people out there to know that there is hope out there for people who use,” Craft said.
People have choices, Craft said, and that includes choosing to not use and choosing to get help.
Craft’s success, more than a year clean, is attributed to the help of Coleman Professional Services and the Vivitrol shot that helped her get by the initial stages of withdrawal.
“I know it’s hard but it’s very very possible for them to do it,” she said.
Kathy Nichols, a counselor at Coleman who attended the rally, said people struggling with addiction need to know there is help for them.
“We have lost way too many lives to heroin and we’re not going to be quiet anymore. We are going to stand up and speak out,” Nichols said.
The rally also is to send a message to drug dealers, she said.
“Not in our backyard,” Nichols said.
Town Square was chosen because of the amount of traffic going by.
“This is a community problem and it’s an epidemic and it’s only going to get worse,” Nichols said.
The 21-year-old Craft said people need to look for a reason to get clean and stop using. For Craft, her 7-year-old sister was a big inspiration. She wanted to be there for her sister, be a part of her life and not be dead.
“I was close a number of times to losing my life,” Craft said.
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