There are probably very few of us who have not been personally touched by the scourge of drug addiction either through family members or close friends.
In many cases, the addiction lasts years between spells of sobriety and then the relapse back into the grip of addiction.
In some cases, the addict overdoses and dies alone.
Last Sunday night on Revere Beach, families and friends gathered to remember more than 180 loved ones who never made it to recovery and died alone.
These addicts never realized the toll that their death had on the surviving family and friends. They never realized how their death left a void in so many lives.
Dealing with an addict is never easy. For family and friends, the ups and downs that are experienced in this long road are gut-wrenching.
The terrible hold that drugs have on the human body is unbelievable as almost all addicts describe the physical need to satisfy the cravings of the pain numbing drive to get high.
There is no easy answer to cure drug addiction. Some people are physically or psychologically addicted to drugs. Others need the drugs to escape from their reality.
Whichever the case, we hope that those attending the service on Sunday night especially the children, will realize that maybe the best way not to be an addict is never to get started on the road to drug use.
If just one child hears this message from Sunday night, then those who were remembered will not have died a meaningless death.