Ep. 034: “Jodi Barber Discusses Overdose Awareness and Difficult Questions with Unpopular Remedies”
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International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on August 31st each year that aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related death. Every year for the past decade, on the last day of August, drug abuse prevention advocate Jodi Barber has organized an event in Orange County, CA in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day.
Jodi Barber and Eric McCoy discuss ideas to help combat the overdose epidemic we are seeing. We discuss harm reduction tactics and delve into the pros and cons to legalization.
Jodi Barber lost her 19-year-old son and three of his close friends to an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2010. Her son, Jarrod Barber, had broken his collarbone and was prescribed Vicodin to which he quickly became addicted. Like many of our youth today, Jarrod went doctor shopping, seeking out prescription medications for abuse. On January 8, 2010, at the age of 19, Jarrod overdosed on the family couch with a cocktail of medications that included opiates, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and antipsychotic medications. We’re seeing this similar story happening across the country with the rise of this opioid epidemic.
Jodi Barber lost her son, but that story doesn’t end there. The loss of her child became an advocacy that has saved the lives of many people including the creation of two documentaries: Overtaken and Overtaken 2: Where Are They Now. How do you move on after burying a child? Jodi Barber contributed the following statement that I’d like to share for all the families suffering from the loss of a child that is from Pain, Failure, and Misery are the Stepping Stones to Success.
“There’s no other option when I have another beautiful son who was born happy and needs me. If I’m not happy, Blake won’t be happy. Would that be fair to him? No way! He and my husband deserve all the happiness in the world. I don’t have to work for happiness when they’re around. Do I have my moments when I just want to scream out loud, wishing for my son back? Absolutely, and I think about him every minute of every day. Would Jarrod want me to be sad? Absolutely not. He loved me very much and wants me to live on and work to save lives—the reason why God took him.”
Jodi Barber is an amazing lady who has given the loss of her son a purpose. Jarrod didn’t die in vain while his loss has saved thousands of lives.
https://overtakenlives.org
Documentary
Overtaken: Jodi Barber and Christine Brant have teamed up with Ashley Media to produce a documentary about the ongoing prescription pill epidemic in Orange County.
Overtaken 2 - Where Are They Now is the second documentary in the Overtaken series, dealing with the topics of addiction, sobriety, and hope in recovery. Overtaken 2 features many of the young adults that appeared in the original Overtaken documentary, all of whom have stayed clean and sober. These young adults emphasize the message of hope and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those still struggling with drugs and addiction.
