Michigan H.O.P.E. hosts heroin town hall meeting

Painkiller and opioid addiction were the focus of a town hall meeting Wednesday night in Waterford. Sadly, many in attendence had close friends and family members die of an overdose.

The meeting was hosted by Michigan H.O.P.E., a group dedicated to fighting prescription and substance abuse.

One of the speakers, Jamie Helm, a former heroin addict, told the crowd the worst mistake any of us can make is to assume it can never happen to someone in our family.

"When that sickness takes over, it's not going to matter that [it's] your grandma or your grandpa or your mom or your dad. We will get in your medicine cabinets; we will take your pills; we will get in your purse; we will take your money if it gets bad enough," she said. "And then we will look you in the face and say, 'How are you accusing me of this? I would never do something like that.'"

Michigan H.O.P.E. stands for heroin opiate prevention education. For more information on the group, visit www.mi-hope.org or call 810-522-4443. 

Since 2003, the rate of fatal heroin overdoses more than quadrupled in the United States.