A Menace 'We Can No Longer Ignore!'

Gov. Christie In 7th SOTS Address: This Is The Face Of The Epidemic Of Addiction That Is Ravaging Our State And Its People
“Our friends are dying. Our neighbors are dying. Our co-workers are dying. Our children are dying. Every day, in numbers we can no longer ignore”

Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie devoted his seventh State of the State address, calling for a unified statewide front against the disease of drug addiction, to raise awareness that treatment and recovery are readily available for families to stay together and people to reclaim their lives as productive members of society. 

The Governor launched an aggressive public relations campaign to spread awareness of a new a one-stop website, www.reachnj.gov, and 24-hour-a-day helpline, 1-844-REACHNJ, that will remove information barriers and significantly improve access to treatment. By clicking or calling, people will have immediate access to life-saving prevention, treatment, recovery and reentry information.

“Nothing could personify God’s work here on earth more than saving lives—each and every life we can save.” Gov. Christie, 2016 SOTS

This morning the Governor joined Fox & Friends to share his message on drug addiction and what we all can do to end the stigma.

Governor Christie: This is an epidemic, and we need to understand that this is a disease. It’s not a moral failing. It’s a disease and we need to treat it. And by the way, we see it happening, as you said, to people at every different economic level, every different level of education, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t discriminate and it’s killing our neighbors and our friends.

Yesterday, the Governor also announced several more model initiatives to combat drug addiction, including reforms to ensure people’s drug abuse treatment is covered by their health insurance, end the overprescribing of opioids, improve education and increase the number of federally allowable treatment beds across the state.

During his speech, Governor Christie spotlighted a few additional faces of addiction, demonstrating how this deadly crisis can impact people of all backgrounds, in all corners of the state and nation, at any time. AJ Solomon, whose father is a New Jersey Supreme Court Justice and mother is a state commissioner, is one of the many drug addicts who doesn’t match the false stereotypes too long associated with this disease.

Read some coverage of how a young man from a prominent and widely-respected New Jersey family battled to overcome drug addiction and find his self-proclaimed true purpose as a leader helping others reclaim their lives:

Star-Ledger: N.J. Supreme Court justice son 'humbled' as Christie describes recovery from drugs

The Record Former heroin addict inspires Christie's reform efforts

Inquirer Christie's anti-addiction campaign inspired by recovery of judge's son

Associated Press: Christie puts human face on New Jersey's addiction crisis

WATCH: Governor Christie: AJ’s Story Is Not An Uncommon Story; It Just Has An Uncommon Ending