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Here are answers to your questions about our New Canaan Vigil on August 27, 2025. Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions: [To track us heading into the Vigil, just go to ncparentsupportgroup.org/news.]

On July 16, 2015, two New Canaan police officers knocked on the door of our house at 25 Heather Drive, to tell my wife and I that my Evan from Heaven, that funny family comedian, had died of an overdose the previous day. That young man, who lighted up the room when he walked in, had passed alone in his

On Tuesday, June 3, I attended and was honored at Liberation Program’s Spirit of Hope Gala. With a theme of “Celebrating Resilience”, the event recognized both John Maxwell and me as individuals who have had “extraordinary impact on families and communities across our region” through their “dedication to saving lives and building a safer, more compassionate world.” In receiving the

Starting with our 7th Annual Vigil, NCPSG adopted a tagline very relevant to our group: “Families Empower Recovery”. From personal experience with my son Evan, I understood that the entire family system is impacted when a loved on is struggling with addiction. Not only was it a matter of the father and mother being impacted, but Evan’s three siblings as

Laura Stack more than met my lofty expectations when she presented to parents and concerned citizens at NCPSG’s May 7, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session. The session intermingled her son Johnny’s story of cannabis use in Colorado with the latest findings on the impact of THC on the brain and body. Her son Johnny, who died at age 19 by taking

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, we hosted an informative Pathway Session on how Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) could successfully help struggling families in CT. The reason for the session was that several NCPSG parents have been impacted by a loved one’s serious mental illness, specifically schizophrenia caused by high-potency THC. This is quickly becoming an epidemic in our state. As

Our March 5, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session with Shawn Robinson was informative and hopeful. During the session, Shawn described how the Enders Island Recovery Residence strengthens recovery for young adult males post chemical detox and an inpatient treatment program. When Shawn gets a call from a parent, it’s usually in desperation. The family “has tried everything”, and nothing has worked.

The bad news: I am hearing more and more of our parents talking not only about addiction to THC, but also cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP). While in some cases the psychosis is temporary, in others–including many in their teens and twenties–the disorder transitions into a spectrum of schizophrenia disorders. Sadly, there are limited resources to help relieve families of the burden

On Tuesday, February 11, we hosted Steve Paymer for our Drug-testing Pathway Session at St. Mark’s. Steve reviewed substance testing options, and the pros and cons of each. This was an outstanding one-hour session, with both education on testing modalities and Steve’s inspiring personal story to boot. Steve started the session by noting that drug and alcohol monitoring, if done

Picture swimming in the ocean with no land in sight.  I have a paddleboarder and motorboat to my right, a motorboat to my left, and attached to my ankle is an Ocean Guardian* shark repellent: a three-foot-long meshed metal tail with a battery on the end that shocks me and the surrounding water every six seconds. This is what I