A Helping Light in a darkened area of Substance Abuse in New Hampshire

By: Rebecca Pearson – November 24, 2014

photoWith recent reports hitting the news streams about the over whelming opioid overdoses in our area and around the Massachusetts and New Hampshire boarders.

The question remains, are there enough long term facilities available for those overcoming substance abuse whether it be from drug or alcohol.  Many detoxes in the area hold a potential addict for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum for two weeks, but what happens after someone who is suffering from addiction gets released from detox.

Many times the addict finds himself left with no numbers to call, no information regarding further treatment and is back on the streets. As this growing epidemic continues a need for more structured treatment homes are at an all-time high. New Hampshire has seen some huge numbers in the amount of overdoses in the past year. More than 300 people died or was recorded of having overdoses in 2014 in the Nashua and Manchester NH area, and this year a staggering over 450 as I can find in most recent available records.

The government has put forth grants to help build up the assistance with helping those fighting the battle of addiction, but where is the help now? How long with those government buildings take to get going? Recently I was introduced to a man that is hoping to just do that. Though the fundraising will take a bit to get underway he has a plan set in motion to help not only with detoxes but with residential housing for men and woman and sober living for men and woman once they have completed the residential treatment program.

His name is Robert F. Putnam. “The Robert F. Putnam Live With Love Foundation is a Non-Profit, community driven, charitable foundation to create educational awareness programs, treatment facilities, and recovery homes, to treat, heal, and prevent the overall epidemic of addiction and alcoholism that is tearing a hole in our New Hampshire communities,”

Robert states. The vision of combating addiction/alcoholism from the founder, a recovering addict/alcoholic himself, is not to look at addiction from a substance standpoint but from the standpoint of “each individual’s soul, helping individuals regain a sense of self-worth and self-confidence by figuring out what inside of them they are trying to silence”. Robert’s goal is to do this through love, compassion, understanding and acceptance, rather than hate, judgment, enabling and rejection. Robert has been able to subdue his disease through long-term residential treatment that allowed him to rebuild his sense of self-worth and self-confidence by getting down to the core of his disease and facing his underlying issues, which now he will help others learn through his experience. “This Disease Directly Affects Everyone In Our Community. It Is Time For Our Community To Directly Affect This Disease.”

Robert Putnam has started his fundraising campaign by opening up a gofundme page (https://www.gofundme.com/livewithlove ) and utilizing social media to begin the backbone of raising funds to secure property to start the process of creating the treatment facilities, but he needs the community support! I for one am very passionate about this and urge you if you can to help, a little goes a long way and every little bit helps. Robert will be planning a fundraiser come spring time and is hoping come summer to have a designated spot picked and planned out to start helping those in need of assistance in the community. Please find the non profit today online on facebook at ( https://www.facebook.com/livewithlovefoundation ) and their website should be up a running by the middle of November. Please join in the fight to help those that need help battling the horrible demon of addiction, and lets help Robert F. Putnam gain the funds to start helping others, just remember that addiction can hit anyone whether it be a coworker, a friend, a loved one, a brother or a sister, or yourself so reach out a helping hand today and help show that lives no matter who they are matter.