A billboard in Crawford County, Pennsylvania is getting a lot of attention, both locally and on the internet, because of the way it highlights the dangers of drug addiction. The said billboard takes the fight against the opioid crisis to very a personal level by featuring one of its victims and emphasizing the need for addiction treatment.
The Crawford County Partnership for Substance Abuse Prevention put up the billboard, which shares the life, death, and struggle of Grayling native Tim Hatley against addiction. The sign reads: “addiction can lead to death.” Tim Hatley’s name and photo are featured alongside the message: “In loving memory of Timothy James Hatley.”
On the bottom of the billboard, the Crawford County Partnership for Substance Abuse Prevention made sure to include the whole point of their message. It reads: “need help, recovery starts here. Call 1-800-834-3393.”
The billboard is getting a lot of attention, which is precisely the goal of the billboard. It aims to start more conversations about the opioid crisis and the dangers of drug addiction. The billboard now sits along the stretch of the road outside of Grayling.
Tim Hatley’s Struggle: The Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse are real. Timothy James Hatley is not a random figure or an imaginary person they decided to use to warn people about drug addiction. Digging deeper into his story uncovers a gut-wrenching tale that starts with a high school football injury.
The athlete had to take prescription painkillers, which then led to addiction. It is important to keep in mind that the medications are not dangerous on their own, despite their addictive potential and habit-forming properties. Taking large doses of prescription painkillers, misusing them, or taking them recreationally can increase a person’s chances of getting addicted.
Tim Hatley’s parents agreed to the billboard in hopes of getting their child’s story out there, to help inspire other families to take addiction very seriously. “When he turned 19, he moved out of my house and moved down the street with a friend and that’s kind of when it all started that he started snorting Norco’s. He had a huge addiction with the Norco’s, went through three withdrawals with him,” said Tim’s mother Karen.
Tim’s struggle with addiction lasted nearly a decade before he turned to meth. This eventually led to a meth-induced psychotic breakdown. This happened about a month before Tim Hatley took his own life on December 30th of last year. His family didn’t find out until his fiancé called to say “he’s gone”.
“I called my husband and said ‘please come home now.’ So, he came home, and when he walked in he was crying, and just shook his head and I fell to the ground,” said Karen.
The tragic experience is what led the Hatley family on a mission to share Tim’s story, in hopes of getting people talking.
“I chose the billboard going towards the high school because I want kids on a bus to see that every single day, and I want parents to get the message that a child doesn’t have to be a troubled kid to end up this way. This loss is the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through, and I don’t want anyone else to go through this.”
If a loved one is struggling with addiction, look for a drug rehab facility nearby and learn more about the process of recovery.
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