Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Rain Reese was a 19-year-old college freshman from Lawton, Oklahoma, who dreamed of becoming a teacher. In May 2023, she took a pill she believed was Xanax. It contained fentanyl, and Rain never woke up.

Her mother, Karla Carlock, could have withdrawn from the world after losing her daughter. Instead, she began fighting to protect other families from the same heartbreak.

Karla walked the halls of the Oklahoma Capitol, shared Rain’s story with lawmakers and traveled to Washington, D.C., to support leaders working to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act. In February 2026, her advocacy led to...

On the eighth anniversary of her son’s death, Janet Ropp says she has found peace and forgiveness, both for herself and others.

On Oct. 13, 2018, Janet came home to find four police cars in her driveway. Her 19-year-old son, James, had died of an accidental Xanax overdose, changing her life in an instant.

Since losing James, Janet has written a book, Dear James, and become a grief recovery specialist. She speaks openly about the stigma surrounding overdose loss, the ways she still feels connected to her son and what it means to keep living while ca...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text 988.

After walking alongside her son through his battle with addiction and then losing him to suicide at 24, Ann Marie Farino knows the depths of grief and heartbreak. But she also knows that even after devastating loss, it is possible to find joy, purpose and a reason to keep moving forward.

Farino is a mother, speaker and writer whose new book, Chronic Chaos: A Son’s Addiction, a Mother’s Love, and Her Quest to F...

Parenting doesn’t end when your child turns 18, but the challenges can look very different.

Kim Muench, a certified parenting coach and founder of Real Life Parent Guide, helps parents navigate the often-overlooked stage of emerging adulthood. After raising five children, Kim has spent years helping families facing mental health struggles, substance use and strained communication.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Kim shares her personal experience navigating her son’s addiction and offers advice for parents trying to support an emerging adult without crossing the line into enabling.

Explore Kim's website for...

She’s one of the world’s most recognized sex and relationship therapists. From The Oprah Winfrey Show to The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Laura Berman has spent more than three decades helping people navigate relationships and life’s challenges. But nothing could have prepared her for the loss of her 16-year-old son, a relationship she says continues even though he is no longer here in this physical world. He died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021. 

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Dr. Berman shares her story, how she has grown through her grief and how she is now...

Overcoming one challenge after another has been part of Shaheed Morris’ life story. Abandoned at birth by his mother, who used substances during pregnancy, Shaheed was born with severe health challenges, and doctors weren’t sure he would survive. His grandmother stepped in, taking him to physical therapy and making sure he received the care he needed, despite financial struggles.

Today, Shaheed is a college graduate who has worked as a TV newscaster and earned his funeral director’s license. He now works in affordable housing, helping people facing housing challenges. 

In this episode of Grievin...

For much of her life, Simone Bowyer struggled to believe she was enough. Growing up with an abusive father who battled alcohol addiction, Simone says childhood trauma sent her down a dangerous path that included an eating disorder, addiction and depression.

After years of therapy and hard work, Simone found recovery and a new sense of purpose. Today, she’s an author, speaker and founder of Light Within Collective, where she focuses on trauma, recovery and emotional well-being.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Simone shares her story of addiction and mental health, how sh...

Millions of people have watched Bryan Blackmon’s TikTok videos featuring his nearly 90-year-old landlord, Elaine. But Elaine has done far more for Bryan than help him become a social media sensation.

Before those videos ever went viral, Bryan was homeless and battling addiction. Elaine was a stranger who took a chance on him, offering him a place to live and helping him find sobriety after decades of addiction. That simple act of trust changed the course of Bryan’s life and became the foundation for what he would go on to build.

Today, Bryan is t...

Jason Granberg spent 25 years chasing a high, first with alcohol and later cocaine, believing the next dollar, success or possession would finally make him happy. Behind the success of building his own business, he was quietly battling depression and anxiety. 

A few years ago, Jason made a decision that terrified him; he called a helpline and asked to be sent somewhere far away, leading him to 42 days of detox and treatment in New Jersey. He returned home and has remained in recovery ever since. Along the way, he learned that no amount of money can fill an e...

Nearly two decades of addiction took Austin Rampt to some of the darkest places of his life. He went through eight rehabilitation programs, crossed international borders searching for an escape, and eventually found himself living alongside members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

It was there that Austin experienced a near-death moment he never saw coming. That moment became one part of a long journey toward change and recovery.

Today, Austin is a business owner, a husband and a father of five. He is also the author of the memoir One Last Hit, where he...

Regret and the tendency to punish ourselves can show up in everyday moments, like forgetting your phone at home, or in life-altering ways, like wondering what you could have done differently to prevent a tragedy.

Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud shares why holding onto that regret can be so damaging. Stephanie Renner lost her 18-year-old son, Jordon, to suicide after years of mental health struggles.

Even after 25 years as an attorney helping CEOs and leaders navigate high-stakes decisions, nothing prepared her for the emotional trial she faced in the aftermath of her son’s de...

Anne Fundner lost her 15-year-old son, Weston, to fentanyl poisoning in 2022. Weston was a high school freshman, a kid who was loved, supported, and given every opportunity his family could provide.

But in one moment of peer pressure, he took a pill he thought was something else. It contained fentanyl, and he never woke up that February morning.

Anne has refused to let Weston’s life be reduced to a statistic. Since his death, she has spoken on some of the biggest stages in the country, testified before Congress, and fought for legislation in his na...

Katie Rizzo holds two master’s degrees in science from Yale and the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has spent more than 15 years teaching high school AP Biology and Anatomy.

She never thought of herself as a writer. That changed on September 17, 2024, when she lost her firstborn son to substance use disorder.

Before her son died, she had never written poetry, but suddenly she had no other language. She began writing as a way to reach him, to somehow connect across that invisible divide.

She is still early in this journey, no...

From Saturday Night Live to hit films like Black Sheep and Tommy Boy, Chris Farley was one of the defining comedians of the 1990s. But behind the fame and larger-than-life humor, he was quietly battling substance use disorder. In 1997, Chris died at just 33 years old from an accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine.

His brother, Tom Farley, is the guest on this episode of Grieving Out Loud. He knows firsthand what it’s like to hide what you’re really feeling, and how that can fuel addiction. Not only did he watch his brother struggle, he went thro...

When your child is struggling with addiction, the fear can be overwhelming, and the loneliness can feel just as heavy.

Today’s Grieving Out Loud guest knows that reality all too well. Brenda Zane’s son was just 15 years old when addiction entered their lives and changed everything. Their journey pushed them to the brink, with two fentanyl overdoses in just three days. After the second overdose, he nearly died, spending three days in a coma on life support, suffering both a heart attack and a stroke. 

Somehow, they found a way through.

Out o...

Juli Shamash is getting national attention for an issue she wishes she never had to talk about. Her 19-year-old son survived a drug overdose, and the hospital ran a standard drug screen, but fentanyl wasn’t included. It isn’t part of the routine ER drug panel used in many hospitals across the country.

Her son, Tyler, died the next day.

It wasn’t until five months later, after a toxicology report from the coroner, that his family learned fentanyl was in his system. With no background in policy or legislation, Shamash took her fight to the...

In the United States, nearly one in two adult women experience some form of unwanted sexual contact, and more than one in five have experienced completed or attempted rape, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effects of that trauma can be profound and long-lasting, including an increased risk of substance use and addiction.

On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Lorie Seeking Land shares how a sexual assault at age 13 set her on a path she never expected. Carrying the shame and pain of that experience in silence, she turned to drugs to...

What happens when the hopes and dreams you have for your child begin to unravel? When they make choices you don’t understand, or find themselves in trouble? Like many parents, you may try to step in and fix it. That’s exactly what today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud did when she discovered her youngest son was experimenting with drugs.

As she watched her son struggle with substance use disorder for years, going in and out of around two dozen treatment centers, Barb McAllister tried everything she could to help him find sobriety.

After...

Addiction is a complex disease, and there’s no guidebook for how to navigate it. Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud knows that reality all too well.

Leslie Collins struggled with substance use disorder for years before finding recovery. But as she began to rebuild her life, her son started down the same devastating path.

Leslie tried everything she could think of to help him fight the disease, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, she made the difficult decision to try something she hadn’t before, tough love. He died shortly after.

N...

This week we are revisiting one of our favorite episodes as we prepare to head to Orlando for CADCA's 25th Annual Mid-Year Training Institute, July 12-16, 2026.

CADCA, or Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, represents thousands of community coalitions across the country working to prevent substance use and save lives. This year's conference theme is Powered by Purpose, and we could not think of a more fitting episode to share as we gear up to be there.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Angela sits down with two young people who embody exactly that spirit...

As a veteran of the music and entertainment industry, David Nathan has helped shape the careers of A-list artists including Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse and Ariana Grande.

But behind that success, he faced a loss he never could have imagined. His son took what he believed was a Percocet, unaware it was laced with fentanyl, and died at just 19.

Now, Nathan is focused on his most personal work yet: helping others navigate mental health challenges in his son’s honor.

What makes that mission even more meaningful is that it began with his so...

Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud found success early in life. Mark Ehrenkranz built a career in the entertainment industry in California and New York, taking on a range of roles. But beneath that success, he was quietly fighting a battle with addiction.

Over the years, Mark says recovery would come in long stretches, sometimes years before everything would unravel again. In one case, he says it was triggered by a medication prescribed by a doctor. Other times, it started with the thought that just one pill wouldn’t hurt. But, as he puts it, that’s not...

She’s walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, won titles like Miss Mt. Rushmore, and may soon have a documentary made about her life. But just a few years ago, Danica Miller was on a very different path.

At just 13, she entered treatment for the first time, struggling with an addiction to inhalants. That struggle deepened over the years, leading to harder drugs, including meth, and at 19, a prison sentence after assaulting a law enforcement officer while intoxicated. With a felony on her record, rebuilding her life wasn’t easy.

After years of addi...

Imagine losing your child to an opioid overdose and then spending years fighting to hold those responsible accountable: the manufacturers, the distributors, the pharmacies. All of it driven by grief too heavy to put down and a determination that refused to quit.

And then, you finally win in court. But the money meant to prevent other overdoses isn’t always used the way it was intended.

Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Alexis Pleus, knows that reality all too well. She lost her son, Jeff, to an overdose, and has since turned her grief into...

After a traumatic loss, like the death of someone we love, it can be tempting to avoid the hard work of grieving. Instead of facing that pain, people often try to numb it through drugs, alcohol or acting out. Others throw themselves into distractions, anything to avoid what’s really going on underneath. For today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Hakeem Bourne McFarlane, that outlet was sports.

After his younger brother died from cancer at just six years old, Hakeem poured everything he had into athletics. On the surface, it looked like a positive path forward. But...

Grief can feel incredibly isolating, and it's something our society still struggles to talk about openly. The full range of emotions, the unexpected reactions, the weight of it all. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we're leaning into the conversations that too often go unspoken.

Stephanie Peirolo’s story is one of both loss and resilience. After losing her father as a teenager, she battled substance use disorder. Years later, after finding recovery, she faced another unimaginable loss, her 19-year-old son.

For months, Stephanie kept her story to herself. But over time, she found th...

It’s often said there’s no greater pain than losing a child. Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Kym Hinchey, knows that devastation all too well. After helping her son through recovery from substance use disorder, she lost him to a sudden overdose.

Just a few months after finding her 27-year-old son, Adrian, dead, Kym returned home to another unimaginable loss-her husband, also found dead on their bedroom floor.

In the span of just a few months, Kym lost both her son and her husband. The grief was overwhelming. She says there was a time...

When you grow up in a home where alcohol and drugs are part of everyday life, it can be difficult to avoid being pulled into a generational cycle of addiction. It becomes your normal, what you know, what surrounds you. And too often, it’s intertwined with mental health struggles and abuse, making substances feel like a way to numb or escape the pain.

That was the reality for today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Toni Handboy. Her childhood was shaped by trauma and loss. She experienced abuse, and her parents were often absent because of addi...

With the number of drug overdose deaths dropping, some are celebrating. But is there a risk in declaring victory too early and cutting funding for prevention? Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, an addiction researcher at Stanford, says not so fast. About 72,000 overdose deaths a year still exceeds the total number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War.

Dr. Wayne Kepner says not only are far too many people still dying, but celebrating too early could cost more lives. He recently wrote an article titled, “America must not learn to live with 72,000 overdose deaths a year...

If you haven’t experienced alcohol addiction yourself, chances are someone close to you has. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly 29 million people in the United States are living with alcohol use disorder. It affects people from every walk of life, including many who never expected to struggle with substance use.

Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Katie Lain, says her path into addiction wasn’t sudden. It happened gradually, after spending more time around people who drank frequently, until she found herself caught in it.

Katie eventually found her wa...

When faced with a large crisis, taking the first step can feel daunting, especially when the companies involved hold significant money and power. That was the reality at the start of the opioid epidemic.

Mississippi was one of the first states in the nation to take on opioid manufacturers in court. Now, the state’s attorney general joins us to talk about that fight, and the evolving threats still facing communities across the country.

On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with Attorney General Lynn Fitch to discuss how the state is wo...

Over the past two decades, suicide rates have steadily risen across the United States. Even when family and friends notice the warning signs and try to get help, the outcome can still be devastating.

That’s the heartbreaking story of today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud. Larissa Strong’s daughter, Hailey, had been receiving care in an inpatient mental health facility after a suicide attempt. Despite that, Larissa says the facility allowed her daughter to leave, and within 48 hours, Hailey was able to purchase a gun and take her own life.

Now, Larissa is fighti...

One struggled with mental health growing up. The other battled addiction. But Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan say that despite having different diagnoses, many of the struggles underneath were surprisingly similar.

After years of doing their own work, the two not only found recovery and stronger mental health, they also teamed up to open a treatment center together in Silicon Valley, Embodied Recovery, blending their personal experiences with professional expertise and insights drawn from ancient wisdom. Hear how their practices are designed to help people regulate their nervous systems, process trauma and reconnect with their inner wisdom.<...

If you love, you will likely grieve. That isn’t meant to sound heavy; it’s simply human. And most of us, if we haven’t already, will one day lose someone we love.

For today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, those losses came much earlier than they do for many. Sylvia Wolfer was just seven years old when her father died suddenly from a heart attack. At 17, she lost her younger brother in a car crash. Several years later, her older brother was killed in a separate car crash.

Since then, Sylvia has learned...

Every life carries a purpose. But when a child dies young, it can feel as if that purpose was cut short, or even stolen. We’re left with questions that don’t have easy answers: What was their life meant to be? What impact did they have? How did they leave their mark on the world?

Andrea Magder knows that feeling all too well. She lost her artistic son, Ethan, suddenly to an opioid overdose. From music to poetry to even a novel, Ethan loved expressing himself through creativity.

But Andrea is working to turn that...

When President Trump signed an executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, some who have lost loved ones to the powerful synthetic opioid applauded the decision. But a drug historian argues The White House is making serious mistakes in its approach to the crisis.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, historian Dr. David Herzberg looks back at earlier substance crises in the United States and discusses what went wrong, what went right, and what lessons those experiences might hold today. He explores how history can inform today’s policies, the unintended consequences of pa...

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, hear from the new CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit working to reverse the addiction crisis. Pam Jenkins recently stepped into the organization’s top role after more than three decades in public health.

Jenkins is widely recognized for creating bold, award-winning health campaigns that break through the noise. She led the team that introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease, a campaign that reshaped public awareness across the country.

In our conversation, she shares her top priorities as CEO, what concerns he...

Lori Kellar is one of the more than 48 million Americans who have struggled with addiction. Like so many people, it began with something that didn’t seem dangerous at all: casual, social drinking. Over time, though, alcohol slowly took control, unraveling her life and putting strain on her relationships with her children, grandchildren and her husband, Dennis.

For years, Lori battled her disease in silence, doing everything she could to hide it. When she finally found the courage to say yes to help, she was met with another crushing reality. Treatment came with a price she felt sh...

Patricia Roos was a sociology professor at Rutgers University when she lost her 25-year-old son, Alex, to a heroin overdose. In the aftermath of that loss, she redirected her life’s work by examining the systemic forces that fuel addiction and the shortcomings of how the nation responds to the overdose crisis, particularly the heavy reliance on the criminal justice system.

Her new book, Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, weaves together her personal story and professional expertise. Through it, she examines how stigma, inequity and a lack of compassion within our heal...

You may know her as the voice of Sally Brown in Peanuts, but by the time she was just 11 years old, Hilary Momberger-Powers had already appeared in dozens of commercials. Behind that familiar voice, though, was a child quietly struggling — with the voices in her own head and the ones she couldn’t escape at home, where she endured emotional abuse from a mother battling alcohol addiction.

That early trauma set Hilary on a dangerous path marked by substance use, abuse and homelessness at a young age. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, she courageously shares her...