‘We’re tired of going to funerals’

DeKalb County commissioner hosts addiction town hall 

Robin Elliot, cofounder of Georgia Overdose Prevention, describes her son as a beautiful, bright individual. But drugs, particularly opioids, took control of her son’s life, she said. 

On May 1, 2011, Elliot received a phone call telling her that her son had died of a drug overdose in the back of his grandparents’ car in the English Avenue neighborhood in Atlanta.

As Elliot fought back tears during a town hall meeting hosted by DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester on Sept. 9 at North DeKalb Senior Center in Chamblee, she said addiction affects everyone regardless of race, gender or socioeconomic background. 

Elliot’s son’s death, along with a series of other events, prompted her to become an addiction prevention advocate and help create Georgia’s 911 amnesty law. The law allows first responders, physicians, and prevention groups to access overdose prevention drug Naloxone and establishes legal protection for individuals seeking help during a drug-related emergency.

“To be honest, I was just looking for a reason to get out of bed,” said Elliot. “I was looking for something meaningful to get out of bed for.”

Several former addicts, drug prevention advocates and DeKalb County officials attended the meeting which featured a panel discussion of three addiction prevention advocates. At the end of the panel discussion guests were allowed to ask questions of the panelists.  

“My personal mission is to keep people alive long enough to get into long-term recovery because dead people do not recover,” Elliot said. “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

Jeff Breedlove, town hall moderator and chief of communications and policy for Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, said the organization plans to hold elected officials accountable for addiction and drug prevention. 

Breedlove, who is in full time recovery for his cocaine addiction, said there is a harmful stigma in society about drug addiction. Breedlove said the town hall meeting was a great way to discuss addiction, recovery and ways to help addicts.  

“This disease of addiction, the disease that I have, is killing more people than any other thing. It’s very deadly and it’s very real,” Breedlove said. “The stigma prevented me from getting help when I needed it and this town hall meeting is a way to encourage people to reexamine this disease and reexamine our position on recovery. Enough is enough. Enough people have died. We’re tired of going to funerals.”

On Oct. 24, 2016 Breedlove, former chief of staff for Jester, called police to a Budget Inn and Suites on Memorial Dr. Breedlove told officers he was suffering from cocaine addiction and admitted he owed a dealer $200. Breedlove was subsequently arrested and taken to DeKalb County Jail.

“My secret became very public,” Breedlove said. 

Jester said she views Breedlove as the brother she never had. Jester said Breedlove’s road to recovery changed her thoughts on addiction.

“Through the sadness of that incident, we have seen beautiful things happen…I had to look in the mirror and I decided when Jeff went through this that no one is disposable. Not one human being in our community is disposable,” Jester said. 

Jester said she will continue to be a voice for addiction recovery through her position with the board of commissioners.