Addiction is a battle New Jersey can win (Opinion)

Never Give In. Those words from Winston Churchill are often applied when things seem desperate and lost. Many families in our great state feel the desperation of being in a battle that seems so overwhelming and so impossible to fight back against.

The addiction and overdose crisis in New Jersey is not better. Despite millions of dollars being spent to distribute Narcan, despite speech after speech from the politicians in Trenton, despite nearly everyone agreeing that something has to be done.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, I will be attending an important event at Community Park in Point Pleasant from noon until 2 p.m. supporting my friend, Tom Hudanish. Tom is a former police officer who lost his son Nicholas to addiction. Nicholas was a promising young man, all star football player in high school, played a couple instruments and went off to college with all the opportunity for success anyone could imagine. Things were great until they weren't.

Nicholas faced depression at school and was prescribed medication. And as many young people experience, that dependency can move into darker and more dangerous substances and ultimately turn deadly.

Tom is on a mission to help prevent this tragedy for other families. He started a foundation to honor the memory of his son. The Nicholas Hudanish Foundation raises money to implement programs in school to help kids make better decisions and fight back against addiction. Tom is a man of action who turned his personal family tragedy into a life force of positive energy helping the next generation see through the darkness of addiction.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

More from New Jersey 101.5: