LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A new study co-authored by a University of Kentucky professor found 42% of people know someone who died as a result of a drug overdose.
The study, which was completed by RAND researchers and University of Kentucky professor Julie Cerel, reveals an estimated 125 million Americans have suffered some sort of loss related to an overdose.
19% of the study's participants lost one person in their lives.
Another 19% lost two to five people.
4.5% lost six or more.
Overdose losses have inspired a new Lexington social service organization, Bluegrass Recovery.
The office, which officially opens to clients next Monday, was opened by Chastity Griffin, who lost her own sister to an overdose in 2021.
Bluegrass Recovery's sober house director Brandon Franklin, who has been on a recovery journey himself, has lost people close to him to overdose.
Now, he's using his own experiences to help others get sober.
"You feel stuck, like you're in quicksand. You can't get out," Frankin said, describing addiction.
He added that hope is key to getting people to find a new path and prevent more overdoses.
"If I didn't think there was a way out, I wouldn't have tried to get sober. It's been the main drive at the beginning," he said.
The organization, with sober living homes and behavioral health services, is looking towards a brighter future, where fewer people know the heartbreak of loss to drug overdoses.
Bluegrass Recovery opens Monday, March 18 and is located at 711 E. Loudon Ave. in Lexington.
