Addiction Doesn’t Mean Disposable

There’s an ugly lie circulating in our society—and it’s time we confront it head-on.

It’s the lie that says people battling addiction are somehow less deserving of justice. That their disappearances don’t matter as much. That their murders are easier to ignore. That their names don’t need remembering.

I’m here to say: Enough.

I’ve spent years immersed in the stories of missing and murdered individuals—many of them women—who struggled with addiction. And time after time, I’ve witnessed the way the system turns a blind eye. The way law enforcement responses stall. The way media coverage stays silent. The way community compassion dries up. It’s as if the moment drugs enter a person’s story, everything else about them is erased.

But these individuals were not statistics. They were mothers. Daughters. Friends. Fighters. They were human beings with histories, hopes, and futures that mattered. Their mistakes did not make them disposable.

We cannot continue to let addiction define the value of a life. We cannot let the stigma silence truth or slow down justice.

I’ve made it my life’s work to shine a light on these forgotten cases. To speak up when others go quiet. To chase answers when everyone else seems to have moved on. Because no one—and I mean no one—should be treated as less than because of their lowest point.

I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption. And I believe that justice is not a privilege reserved only for the perfect.

If you’re reading this, I ask you to remember the ones who’ve been written off. Say their names. Share their stories. Fight for them as if they were your own family—because for many of us in this work, they are.

Let’s build a world where addiction no longer equals invisibility. Where recovery is possible. Where justice is not conditional.

Because addiction doesn't mean disposable.