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Joy of Medina County Magazine | February 2020
VOLUME 3 NUMBER 1 JOYOFMEDINACOUNTY.COM
An Addict’s Story by Amy Barnes For the first time, The Reading Nook is featuring a nonfiction story. It is an important story about our times and the rabbit hole of addiction that so many of our friends, family members and coworkers have fallen down and struggled or are still struggling to crawl out of. Kevin Oney’s story is about himself, how he became an addict, the people he loved and hurt, and the process of becoming a recovering addict who has the strength to tell his story, unvarnished and stark. When Oney approached me with his story and asked if there would be an interest in publishing it, he did not know that I had been wanting to publish exactly such a story, one about addiction written from an addict’s point of view, to fulfill a promise I had made. At a place I worked at a few years ago, I overheard a conversation among coworkers who were expressing outrage that Narcan was used, sometimes repeatedly, to save the lives of overdose victims. They said addicts did not deserve reviving because they had
made the choice to use drugs. I cringed at the words that were said and even more at the tone that was used, but I also knew it was a common misperception. When trying to enlighten them failed, I promised myself that one day there would be the chance to help bring understanding that addiction is not simply a matter of choice. Oney said his hope is that his story will encourage those who are fighting addiction and maybe help warn others, so they do not fall into the trap of addiction. Perhaps his story also will educate and change the views of those who are the harshest critics of the ones trying to climb out of the rabbit hole, and maybe they will be inspired to do more and will reach out a hand to help pull someone up. Oney’s story is one of hope, finding joy and rediscovering love and the richness of life.
PUBLISHER Blake House Publishing, LLC EDITOR Amy Barnes ART DIRECTOR Danny Feller PHOTOGRAPHERS FlashBang Photography Ed Bacho Photography CARTOONIST Jerry King CONTRIBUTORS Bob Arnold Kelly Bailey Hunter Barnard Paul McHam Steve Rak Michelle Riley Robert Soroky Austin Steger Kent Von Der Vellen THE READING NOOK AUTHOR Kevin G. Oney MASCOT Rico Houdini ADVERTISING SALES AND OFFICE 330-461-0589 E-MAIL Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com WEBSITE JoyOfMedinaCountyMagazine.com Learn more about the staff at Behind The Scenes, JoyofMedinaCountyMagazine.com Open positions are listed on the website at Open Positions. JOY of MEDINA COUNTY MAGAZINE is published monthly by Blake House Publishing, LLC, 1114 N. Court, #144, Medina, Ohio 44256. It is distributed as an e-edition and in a print edition. Both editions can be found at JoyofMedinaCountyMagazine.com Copyright 2018-2019 by Blake House Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Any unsolicited materials, manuscripts, artwork, cartoons, or photos will not be returned.