MANSFIELD — William Cole understands all too well what it’s like to lose someone to substance abuse.
In the last two years alone, he’s had to say goodbye to 43 friends and family members who died of overdoses. The Mansfield native said he didn’t want to leave his house when his fiancé passed.
“I kept asking myself, ‘What if I’d done something different,'” he said.
Cole said his fiancé thought she was using heroin, but it was really fentanyl.
Last September, local law enforcement announced its plans to crack down on dealers who are spiking their product with fentanyl due to its highly dangerous potency.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, two milligrams of fentanyl is lethal.
Cole realizes there are many others who have lost loved ones to addiction. He wants to provide support to those who are grieving, as well as raise awareness of the drug/alcohol treatment services that are available in the area.
That’s why he started organizing a monthly event known as “Impacting Addiction with Christ.” The first one was held two months ago at Elm Street Freewill Baptist Church in Shelby.
The next event will be held on Sunday, March 19 at Cook Road Baptist Church at 54 E. Cook Road from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Cole, 53, used and sold drugs, finding himself in and out of jail. He struggled with addiction from age 38 to 50. He said his faith played an important part in the recovery process, which is where “Impacting Addiction with Christ” came from.
Representatives of Catalyst Life Services and the Starfish Project of Richland County will be on hand at the upcoming event to share information on recovery services and how to go about getting treatment. There will also be information on available counseling services and group meetings for those who have lost people to addiction.
Guest speakers include Bob Ball of the Richland County Coroner’s Office, Pastor Gary Lambert of Belmont Community Church, Valerie Rust of the Starfish Project, and local residents Tiffany Sevits, Jimmy West and Sherri Ward-Clifton.
The drama team from Belmont Community Church will perform a skit on breaking free from addiction.
Cole said detox treatment is readily available to those interested thanks to a partnership with New Vision.
New Vision is a medically supervised withdrawal management service with offices in Mt. Vernon, Chardon and East Liverpool. Cole said a handful of individuals have sought treatment after attending the previous Impacting Addiction with Christ events.
“A lot of them went the next day,” he said. “Some of them week a week later.
“It is working.”
For those who don’t have transportation, Cole said he’ll provide them rides.
“I’ll make sure to get them there,” he said.
