Midstate family carries on cause of man who shared addiction issues
Photo by AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File
In this March 11, 2013 file photo, Shavonne Bullock, a recovering heroin addict, holds a demonstration dose of the medication Suboxone during an appointment at the West Division Family Health Center in Chicago. Each dose is incorporated on a dissolvable film, which is placed below the tongue where is dissolves and is absorbed into the bloodstream. Suboxone helps suppress withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings for people recovering from addiction to opioid drugs.
(Dallastown) — Alexander Lauer hoped sharing his own struggle with heroin addiction would help others on the same path.
The Dallastown native was an avid supporter of the local chapter of Not One More, a nonprofit organization bringing awareness to the opioid epidemic, and he carefully documented his roughly 10-year battle in journals.
Lauer dreamed of helping others and was working on a company he called End the Struggle, according to his older brother Garret Lauer.
The 33-year-old father of two envisioned a platform that would allow him to “talk about what he’s going through” and welcome those interested in doing the same, his brother said.
It almost materialized, Garret Lauer said.
Now, Alexander Lauer’s family will take up his cause.
On Nov. 20, Alexander’s father broke down his door after not hearing from him and found his son unconscious in his bedroom. Alexander Lauer died after overdosing on heroin that is suspected to have been laced with fentanyl, Garret Lauer said.
Remembering Alex
Garret Lauer remembered his younger brother as a “good person and a family guy,” someone who always shined with his humor, strength and intelligence.
But like the more than 70,000 Americans who died by overdose last year — 171 just in York County, according to Coroner Pam Gay — the addiction proved too strong for Alexander Lauer.
“That’s what’s interesting about (his death),” Garret Lauer said. “My brother, being as smart and strong as he was, still needed to do the drug because it was so powerful. When he got introduced to it, it gripped him.”
The Lauer family isn’t new to death from addiction: Alexander Lauer’s uncle and cousin also died from overdoses in the past two years, Garret Lauer said.
Fighting the Epidemic Himself
While the family suspects fentanyl was mixed with the heroin that killed him, the family has not yet received autopsy results. Authorities are increasingly finding heroin laced with fentanyl, which is roughly 100 times stronger than morphine.
Alexander Lauer was far from ignorant of his addiction and the dangers of heroin and fentanyl, his brother said, and he tried to use that knowledge to help others.
For instance, he was involved in local chapter of Not One More, though he never spoke publicly at the organization’s meetings, Garret Lauer said.
Addiction advocates who are also struggling themselves aren’t uncommon, said Vickie Glatfelter, president of Not One More’s York branch.
“It shows there’s a deep understanding among people that have the disease about how grave it can be and how hard it is to overcome,” said
Glatfelter, who didn’t know Alexander Lauer. “It’s a lifelong battle, and it’s never going to go away.”
She added there is an increased risk of relapse and overdose during the winter time due to depression, anxiety and other factors.
Documenting his struggle
Garret Lauer remembered his brother as “stubborn” when it came to rehab, having been in and out of treatment for years and eventually taking treatment into his own hands “and just doing it himself.”
“I think now, Alex would want people to know you can’t do it alone,” he said. “You need professional help and to stick to it. You need to reach out and talk about it honestly.”
The family now aims to continue spreading Lauer’s message through a project called Alex’s Open Book Life Legacy Program, which compiles stories of those affected by the opioid epidemic.
Garret Lauer said the name was partly inspired by the open journal his younger brother left behind, and it’s currently operated by him on his Facebook page.
He now hopes to make a group Facebook page and potentially create a separate online forum for individuals to share their stories, he said. For longer term goals, he wants to make it a worldwide effort and hold events related to the work.
So far, 39 people have reached out to Garret Lauer to talk about their stories, four of whom were addicts themselves, he said.
“This is what Alex wanted to bring out,” he added. “If we can save one life, Alex would be happy about that.”
Rather than flowers, his family asked for donations to support his daughters, which can still be submitted at the GoFundMe page.
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Online:
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