Photo courtesy of PINELLAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Friends and family become emotional as they remember those lost to the disease of addiction during the NOPE candlelight vigil Oct. 25 at Largo Central Park.
LARGO – The Pinellas community gathered in Largo Central Park for a fourth annual candlelight vigil Oct. 25, joining a national event commemorating those lost and suffering to drug or alcohol abuse.
The event, organized by Narcotics Overdose Prevention & Education, or NOPE, began at 7 p.m. Attendees were invited to bring a photo of a loved one who was lost to the disease of addition to place on a memorial wall.
The NOPE vigil “strives to raise awareness and open the doors to recovery by eliminating the prejudice that has followed the disease of addiction,” according to its website. Confronting addition as a disease that plagues people of all backgrounds and lifestyles can help remove the shame and empower victims to seek help, it states.
The organization addresses additions to prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana and offers resources to those battling the disease and to their family and support group.
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