Creating a Path Forward: Justin Phillips on Advocacy, Recovery, and Reducing Stigma
Interviewer: Chloe Del Carlo, Interviewee: Justin Phillips
The journey to advocacy often begins with personal experience, and for Justin Phillips, founder of Overdose Lifeline (ODL) and a Woman of the Year honoree, that journey was born from profound loss and a deep determination to save lives. In this interview with Chloe Del Carlo, Phillips opens up about the tragic loss of her son Aaron to an overdose, her own experiences with addiction and recovery, and her unwavering commitment to harm reduction as a means of addressing substance use disorders. With candor and empathy, Phillips discusses the barriers created by stigma, the misconceptions surrounding harm reduction, and the importance of community education and involvement. From providing life-saving naloxone kits to advocating for legislative change, she has dedicated her life to reducing stigma and supporting recovery. This dialogue offers a powerful glimpse into her mission and legacy, showing that through understanding, compassion, and action, meaningful change is possible.
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Chloe: So, first question, what inspired you to create Overdose Lifeline?
Justin: I created a overdose lifeline because my middle child Aaron lost his life to an overdose, and I didn’t know that prescription opioids and heroin were the same drug. I didn’t know he could use again after treatment and die. I didn’t know there was something called naloxone, and I knew that stigma and shame around substance use interfered with my willingness to get him perhaps the help he deserved.
Chloe: Can you share your personal experience with addiction and how it shaped your approach to harm reduction?
Justin: Sure, I have been sober from alcohol use disorder since 1989, and I thought I understood addiction and I do think that I did understand that addiction had a genetic component and does have a genetic component. So I’ve tried to be open and honest with my children about the potential propensity for substance use disorder, but I didn’t, you know, understand opioids and I, you know, have been in abstinence based 12 step recovery since I got sober 1989 and I learned about harm reduction actually before Aaron, even before Aaron was using opioids as a concept for helping people find their way to recovering and once I learned about it and that it is a public health approach to lots of legal and illegal things that we do in our life. I fully embrace harm reduction as a way to help people stay alive, mitigate the negative consequences of their drug use and you know, have more peace.
Chloe: You kind of just answered this one, but maybe you can expand on it. Why do you believe harm reduction is essential in addressing substance use?
Justin: You know, I think we need to meet everyone where they are. I think that people need opportunities to take smaller steps towards their positive outcome and not everyone is ready to be abstinent and with opioids and overdose and the dangerous drug supply. We have to be willing to, to take, you know, do things a little nontraditional because we need to help people stay alive.
Chloe: Was there a specific part of recovery, either your own or someone else’s, that changed your perspective on harm reduction or advocacy?
Justin: No, I think it’s just learning more about harm reduction, being exposed more to the concept and understanding, you know, that perhaps had I understood it better, I would have been more willing, for example, for Aaron to take medication for opioid use disorder.
Chloe: Yeah. This one I kind of know the answer to. I’m not sure if you do, you probably do. What role does ODL play in supporting the substance use intervention services at IU?
Justin: I don’t know, I think we give you Naloxone.
Chloe: Yeah, yeah, you guys give a bunch of naloxone, but then, Nicks thing, his training pamphlets are all from ODL too for the Narcan training, and the intramuscular Narcan and stuff.
Justin: Yeah, which is just another form of Naloxone.
Chloe: Why do you believe the Collegiate Recovery Community or CRC is a vital resource on IUs campus?
Justin: I’m going to guess because young people, that are college age need to understand the risks of developmentally appropriating, appropriately experimenting with drugs. And you know how to ask for help. They need to know that they don’t need to be ashamed to ask for help. They need to be able to trust.
Chloe: How does the stigma surrounding substance abuse or substance use impact your work and the individuals you serve?
Justin: Well stigma is a barrier to people asking for help. Stigma is a barrier to resources for people, judgment from people. You know, it’s very real, and so that’s one of our core foundational messages is that stigma interferes and we need to remove the stigma in all the ways that we can to improve the language that we use, the way we treat each other, you know, our judgment of others.
Chloe: Would you say there are any misconceptions about harm reduction or recovery that you frequently encounter and wish more people understood?
Justin: Yeah, I think people consider harm reduction enabling, which just isn’t true. And, yeah, there’s not much else to say.
Chloe: Have you faced any challenges advocating for harm reduction then just because of those misconceptions?
Justin: I mean sure, we’ve had challenges advocating since, you know, we passed the law in 2015 around access to Naloxone, I think we still have some challenges around access to Naloxone. So, as it relates to stigma, people believe that it’s enabling.
Chloe: How do you balance empathy and boundaries when working with individuals struggling with substance use?
Justin: Hmm, well that’s an interesting, difficult question. Empathy and boundaries, Yep, that’s a great question! I think that it’s imperative that you have a sense of boundaries with anyone struggling with their own personal crisis. Whether it’s mental health or financial or relationship or substance use disorder. Obviously helping them, standing beside them, having empathy is crucial. We have to see people where they are, meet them where they are, and you know, use first person language you’ve gone through. But we can’t cross the line into working harder for their recovery or their well-being or safety than they’re willing to work for themselves.
Chloe: Can you share a moment or success story that reaffirmed your commitment to this work?
Justin: You know, In the beginning when we first passed Aarons law, and I heard directly from people who, well, first of all, you know, let me go back. So, in the beginning, when I did, the very first thing I really did was a news article with a reporter for the Indy Star who’s no longer alive, unfortunately, and it was the front page. Part of the front page of the Sunday Star on Easter and I told Aaron’s story, full story about being the quarterback and dying from a heroin overdose. And so many people reached out to me and said me too, me too. That’s my story too, and that affirmed to me that we were hiding behind our stories because of shame and stigma, and we needed to be vocal. And then when we passed Aaron’s Law, and I heard from people who told me that they got to save their loved one because of access to naloxone. Every single time I get a story from someone that says I’m alive because of naloxone, I’m alive because of Aarons law is it to me.
Chloe: Yeah. When I was thinking about that question for me, similar to what you were saying, when I was working at the methadone clinic over the summer and people would come up and talk about how what we were doing helped save their life, siblings life or their friend’s life or anyone I guess related to them. That made me realize how important the work we’re doing is and the work you’re doing is.
Chloe: What partnerships or collaborations have been most impactful in advancing ODL’s mission?
Justin: That’s a hard question too, because you know, we couldn’t do it without the partnership with the state of Indiana because of funding, right? We couldn’t do 24,000 doses a month of naloxone if the state wasn’t willing to invest in that and make that happen. But almost as equally important are the partners who are grassroots organizations on the ground like Indiana Recovery Aliance or SUIS, who are willing to be that community voice who know their community better than we do, and who can find the people that need the resources. So, they’re both really valuable in different ways.
Chloe: How do you see the future of harm reduction and recovery support evolving on college campuses?
Justin: I wish we could get Infront of students more and help them understand the dangers as more of a required piece of their orientation. And help them understand, you know, access to fentanyl test strips. Harm reduction is something that, in this current climate, they need to take just as seriously as knowing where the AED machine is in the resident hall or, you know, knowing how to do basic first aid.
Chloe: Yeah, I would agree with that. What advice would you give to students or young adults who want to help friends or families struggling with substance use?
Justin: You know, try to understand harm reduction. Try to understand how to have those open anonymous conversations with your loved ones so that they are willing to come to talk to you. You know, we act often as parents or caregivers out of fear and then that manifests as anger and that’s not very effective.
Chloe: In what ways can the broader community get involved in supporting Overdose Lifelines mission?
Justin: In big ways, we can use your financial support because we can’t function without grants and donor dollars for all the things that we need to include in our programs, families in our house for women who are pregnant. We have young children trying to find recovery. We also would love to connect with people in cities other than Indianapolis about, you know, doing outreach, having conversations about stigma. The other thing is if you’re in the Indianapolis area and you want to help us put together these overdose prevention kits. We distribute, you know, 24,000 a month, so we can’t do that without volunteers. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter!
Chloe: What role does education and awareness play in changing perceptions about substance use and recovery?
Justin: I think it plays a huge role. I think that people don’t know until they don’t know. Lots of people don’t know how the brain changes when you introduce substances, especially before the age of 15, people are four times more likely to have substance use disorder and have addiction later in life if they, you know, introduce that to their brain. It changes the pathways in the brain. Most people don’t know that. People think it’s about willpower and it’s just blatantly not.
Chloe: Last question, what does Overdose Lifeline mean to you personally and professionally?
Justin: Well, sometimes I call it, you know, the imperfect storm because I would never choose to lose my child to any kind of situation you know, and it definitely makes it worse when you lose a child to a stigmatized cause of death. But I’m grateful if one wants to use the word grateful, for the opportunity to make an impact and save other people’s lives in his honor. And change, you know, the lives of kids affected by substance use disorder through camp Mariposa. I mean, those are the things that totally warm my heart and, you know, provide some peace and serenity around raising a child, which is very hard.
Chloe: Well, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview and for all the incredible insight!
Justin: Thank you!
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