In Middletown, addiction’s toll: Faces, places — and headstones

Jack Barrett, a recovering heroin addict, attends group therapy at Groups in Middletown, Ohio. He credits this treatment center with saving his life.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

A posting hangs from a bulletin board with contacts for drug counseling at Groups in Middletown, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Jack Barrett, a recovering heroin addict, attends group therapy at Groups in Middletown, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Jack Barrett, a recovering heroin addict, attends group therapy at Groups in Middletown, Ohio. He credits this treatment center with saving his life.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Jack Barrett, a recovering heroin addict, sits in the group therapy room under the watchful eye of counselor Ana Cristina Weickert at Groups in Middletown, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Jack Barrett speaks with counsellors. Barrett credits Groups with saving his life. To pass the gift on, he distributes pamphlets for Groups around his neighborhood, and tries to recruit friends to join him in treatment. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Chris Carroll, a recovering heroin addict, attends group therapy at Groups in Middletown, Ohio.
Photo by Mary F. Calvert

Urine samples on shelf at Groups in Middletown, Ohio. Here, patients are trusted to produce their samples without supervision. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Cynthia Abney listens to a recovering heroin addict at Groups in Middletown, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

An opiod addicts receive counseling at Groups in Middletown, Ohio. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Butler County Sherriff’s office in Hamilton, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Butler County Sherriff Richard K. Jones won’t allow his deputies to carry Narcan: He calls it a security concern.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

“My officers’ job isn’t to save this person who chose to shoot up drugs,” says Richard K. Jones, Butler County Sheriff. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Items on a table in Sheriff Jones’s office. Butler County Sherriff Richard K. Jones won’t allow his deputies to administer Narcan to people who have overdosed on drugs.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Butler County Sherriff Richard K. Jones won’t allow his deputies to administer Narcan to people who have overdosed on drugs.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown, Ohio is a town in crisis due to the economic downturn and high numbers of citizens who are addicted to drugs.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

A map at the Middletown Fire Department. The firemen say that overdose calls come in from all over town: This epidemic does not discriminate.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown fire fighters between calls. “This is a small town with big city problems,” says one. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Coat rack at the Middletown Fire Department. A federal grant last year allowed them to bring on the additional personnel necessary to deal with the growing number of calls. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown Fire Department personnel wait for calls in Middletown, Ohio.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

A firefighter with Narcan at the MIddletown Fire Department. Before, reviving a victim only took 2 mg. Recently, they’ve had to administer as much as 18. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

In the parking lot outside Old Crow Bar, the Middletown Fire Department responds to a call about a possible heroin overdose. The woman insists that she’s fine — she doesn’t want to go to the hospital. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown Fire and Police Department personnel respond to a call about a woman possibly overdosing on heroin.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Drug paraphernalia is seen on a car hood as the Middletown Fire Department responds to a call about a woman possibly overdosing on heroin. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown Fire and Police Department personnel respond to a call about a woman possibly overdosing on heroin.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

The Middletown Fire Department responds to a call about a young woman possibly overdosing on heroin. “You’re not going to get in trouble:” A fireman tries to convince her to go to the hospital. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

The Middletown Fire Department responds to a call about a woman possibly overdosing on heroin. “You’re not going to get in trouble:” A fireman tries to convince her to go to the hospital. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Lawrence Mulligan Jr, Mayor of Middletown, doesn’t think the opioid problem is worse here than in the surrounding area: It’s just more openly discussed. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio. The service focuses on addiction — and the help that Christ can offer. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio.
Photo by Mary F. Calvert

Gene Robinson, a recovering heroin addict. He first used heroin in 2009, after finding his then-wife dead of a painkiller overdose.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio. “Addiction can take us as its slaves,” announces the pastor. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio. When the pastor asks if they would like to bow their heads and pray, they do. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Neighborhood residents attend a free Sunday breakfast and church service at La Requena Belen church in Middletown, Ohio. A young boy picks at cereal.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Gene Robinson and Terri Fugate have been together for two years. Gene is a recovering heroin addict, now on Suboxone. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. Five months ago, his mom Terri Fugate resuccitated him after a heroin overdose. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. His mom Terri Fugate found him hen he overdosed. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate, a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, writes music: “Blues Clues couldn’t solve this — mystery. Cocaine, amphetamine, codeine dreams — a fiend.” (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Gene Robinson, middle, talks to his step-son Larry Fugate, left, and far right, mom Terri Fugate at their home in Middletown, Ohio. Both men are recovering heroin addicts.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Recovering heroin addict Larry Fugate, hugs his mom Terri Fugate at their home in Middletown, Ohio. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. Five months ago, his mom Terri Fugate resuscitated him after a heroin overdose. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. Five months ago, his mom Terri Fugate resuscitated him after a heroin overdose. His Mom is pictured with her fiancé, Gene Robinson, also a recovering heroin addict. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. Five months ago, his mom Terri Fugate resuscitated him after a heroin overdose. He drew most of his tattoos himself. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate listens to his step-father Gene Robinson at their home in Middletown, Ohio. Both men are recovering heroin addicts.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Gene Robinson, right, caresses his wife Terri Fugate while Terri’s son Larry Fugate, far left, looks at his phone in their Middletown, Ohio home. Both men are recovering heroin addicts.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Terri Fugate and her fiancé, Gene Robinson — is a a recovering heroin addict. An electrician, Gene prepares to head out for a job. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Gene Robinson, right, a recovering heroin addict, with his fiancée’s son, Larry Fugate, left – also a recovering addict. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Terri Fugate’s fiancé Gene and son, Larry, are recovering heroin addicts. Terri is “proud of her boys.” (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Larry Fugate is a recovering heroin addict at home in Middletown, Ohio. HIs mom Terri Fugate resuscitated him after an overdose five months ago, upstairs in his room. He is applying for jobs at AK Steel. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott Weidle built a memorial park in Germantown, Ohio, to honor his son, Daniel, who died of an opioid overdose on December 26, 2016. The park is also dedicated to Daniel’s cousins, Andy Genslinger and Zach Cox, also victims of opioid addiction. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott Weidle built a memorial park Germantown, Ohio, to honor his son, Daniel, who died of an opioid overdose on December 26, 2016. He visits daily. The park brings him peace. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Daniel Weidle’s memorial park also honors his cousin, Andy Genslinger — a talented football player whose cleats hang above his memorial rock. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott and Carrie Weidle lost their son Daniel to opioid addiction. They have dedicated this spot, Daniel’s favorite, to honoring his memory. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

The day that Daniel Weidle’s Vivitrol prescription ran out, he wrote this gratitude list: “Grateful Im alive,” reads the first bullet. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

The day that Daniel Weidle’s Vivitrol prescription ran out, he wrote this gratitude list: “Grateful Im alive,” reads the first bullet. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Fighitng his addiction, Daniel Weidle found strength in spiritualism and faith. His father, Scott Weidle, displays some of Daniel’s writings in the memorial park built in his honor. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott Weidle built a memorial prak in Germantown, Ohio, to honor his son, Daniel, who died of an opioid overdose. Little things show up around the park — left by friends and strangers to honor Daniel, as well as other vicitms of the epidemic. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott Weidle and his wife Carrie Weidle sit on a bench in the memorial park in Germantown, Ohio that he built in honor of his son Daniel Weide who died from an overdose of heroin.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

In the time since Daniel’s death, Scott Weidle has dedicated himself to fighting the medical practices that he sees as the root cause of the opioid epidemic. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Scott Weidle lost his son Daniel to opioid addiction. He built a memorial park in his honor in Germantown, Ohio. He visits daily. The spot brings him peace. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Beth Genslinger mourns the death of her son Andy, who died from a heroin overdose in his bedroom in Germantown, Ohio. She sits on his bed where she found him dead. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Beth Genslinger mourns the death of her son Andy, who died from a heroin overdose in his bedroom in Germantown Ohio. He had been fighting his addiction for five years. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Beth Genslinger mourns the death of her son Andy, who died from a heroin overdose in his bedroom in Germantown Ohio. This blanket features favorite T-Shirts and sports uniforms, stitched together in memorial. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Beth Genslinger mourns the death of her son Andy, who died from a heroin overdose in his bedroom in Germantown, Ohio. He is pictured on a blanket next to her.
(Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Beth Genslinger tells the story of her son, Andy, who died from a heroin overdose in his bedroom in Germantown, Ohio. He is pictured on a blanket next to her. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)

Middletown, Ohio. (Photograph by Mary F. Calvert for Yahoo News)