GRANGER – Robby Brandt IV had his wisdom teeth removed his sophomore year of high school. To alleviate the pain, his doctor prescribed opiate pain medication, which was his first taste of a euphoria he battled with for years. Even after going to rehabilitation and treatment programs, and maintaining sobriety several times, relapse was still a struggle for Robby.

Not even the promise of a career in the National Guard and the chance to go to Afghanistan with his fellow soldiers was enough for him to say no to the drug that shadowed him since he was a teenager. That shadow led to his untimely death at the age of 20 in October 2011.

After Robby passed, Rob Brandt, Robby’s father, took his grief and turned it into positivity and advocacy by founding Robby’s Voice, a nonprofit organization that seeks to spread awareness about addiction.

Brandt shared his story with an audience of parents and school officers March 13 at Highland High School, hoping to bring more attention to a growing problem that people of all ages, gender and socioeconomic statuses battle.

“Medina County is getting hit with the heroin epidemic, and with that right on our doorstep, I think the best way to combat it is through education,” Highland High School guidance counselor Claudia Johnson said.

Johnson said she saw Brandt present at Cloverleaf High School and wanted him to bring his message to the parents and administration in Highland’s district.

Brandt, a Medina resident, said a crucial part of his story is helping people get a better understanding of the disease called addiction.

“We have to get rid of the stigma associated with the disease,” Brandt said.

Brandt is currently working on a poster contest and documentary, “Chasing the Dragon,” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency. Middle and high school students from northern Ohio can create and submit posters based on the costs of the opioid epidemic and consequent addiction crisis, which are the central theme of the movie. The winners will receive cash prizes and their artwork will be featured in the documentary.

Resources for combatting addiction

Robby’s Voice offer ways to identify addiction and drug abuse, as well as suggestions on how to break the silence.

“It always surprises me when someone walks up to me after my presentation and asks for help,” Brandt said. “The courage it takes for a person to ask for help from themselves or a family member or friend is immense.”

An audience member asked Brandt what to do if her children ask if she had ever taken drugs. His response was to be open and honest, because it encourages them to be receptive and truthful, too.

Another audience member asked what age should she start talking to her children about drugs, and Brandt said as soon as they can talk.

Brandt said from the time children are babies, parents and society condition them to take a pill to feel better whenever something is wrong. He pointed out children see substance abuse culture all around them in television, music, movies and in their own everyday life. In order to break the silence the conversation has to be initiated.

Robby’s Voice makes and hands out “CAPS” cards to keep in wallets in case they are faced with a substance abuse or addiction situation. CAP stands for: Choices have consequences; Aware and informed; and Plan and Practice. The cards provide lines to write contact numbers to call and phrases to use when not sure of how to approach the topic.

The organization also provides educational pamphlets, fliers and a card that demonstrates how to recognize and treat someone experiencing an overdose.

Statistics

Brandt reported many statistics related to the opiate epidemic in the United States, which included the following:

• Ohio currently possesses the highest rate of overdose deaths, and 86 of Ohio’s 88 counties are considered heroin hotspots.

• One person dies every 11 minutes of a drug overdose in the United States.

• Ten percent of the United States is addicted to opiates.

• There were about 58,000 U.S. military fatal casualties reported in the Vietnam War. Forty-eight thousand people died of accidental overdoses in America in 2015.

• Seventy percent of the prescription drugs teens abuse come from their own families’ homes.

• Among teens aged 13-14, prescription pain medications are the most abused.

• The United States uses 80 percent of the world’s prescription drugs, which includes usage of over 90 percent of the world’s hydrocodone prescriptions.