Michigan Connects

05/05/2026

A woman in metro Detroit sold fentanyl-laced co***ne that took the lives of 3 people in one night. So sad! But I wanna point out something critical in this story. Phone records indicate she sold her coke to 4 people that night. 3 died, the other one was saved because he tested it with a fentanyl test strip and didn’t use the coke. That fentanyl test trip saved his life. All harm reduction organizations should circulate this to raise awareness. I don’t ever advocate for someone to use, but I believe in harm reduction. Fentanyl is in EVERYTHING now. If you are gonna use ANYTHING, please use test strips. They are distributed for free by many agencies and health departments.

The 34-year-old former Harper Woods woman gets 17.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to supplying fentanyl-laced co***ne to the victims.

05/05/2026

We need YOUR HELP!! We are trying to make it to 1,000 Followers! Can you help us do it?? Please click on our page, go to the three little dots on the top right corner, scroll down to “Invite Friends” and invite as many people as you think would enjoy our content!! We would greatly appreciate you!! Spread the word about Pinnacle Recovery!!

04/30/2026

‼️Our lab testing partners Millennium Health shared this with us recently: “Urine drug testing data show stimulant use climbing sharply, detected at nearly twice the rate of fentanyl in 2025.”
This is from an analysis of over 1.6 million clinical urine drug tests of adults with substance use disorder. A key finding that caught my eye was the co-detection of stimulants and fentanyl continued to rise in 2025.

04/30/2026

The Lansing Housing Commission is opening its 2 bedroom waitlist tomorrow for one week.

04/27/2026

A new homeless shelter is opening in Lansing soon called The Nest. Holy Cross will be shutting down but someone from that program is opening up her own shelter. From the LSJ:

Shelbi Frayer was part of the New Hope Community Center's shelter efforts when she learned financial challenges would shut it down.

04/26/2026

What are you CHANGING in recovery? I talk about this quite a bit in some of the groups I facilitate. A lot of newly sober people start recovery riding the pink cloud, thinking that simply not using will fix all their problems. Obviously, sobriety is critical to true change in recovery. But for me, it was only the starter. I had to ask myself why I kept relapsing if I was doing the things on my relapse prevention plans after rehab. I realized I was willing to take some suggestions, but only the easy ones. I was going to meetings, finding jobs, staying away from old using friends. The easy suggestions. But what about the suggestions that I not get in a relationship for at least a year? Going to sober living after treatment instead of going home? Doing actual step work? Letting my therapist challenge me and talking about trauma? Not running from negative emotions? Doing the uncomfortable? Doing service work? These are the things I avoided. The problem is - cutting corners in recovery doesn’t work. I see it all the time working in recovery housing: guys get to Pinnacle, get a job right away, start dating the first girl that looks their way, and sooner or later their recovery takes a back seat. When I try to challenge some of them to keep their recovery first, they often respond, “That girl is sober and is good for me, she holds me accountable! I am staying sober and busting my ass at work, what else can I do?” 99% of the time in that situation, that person gets burned out within a month and leaves the program. Don’t get me wrong, staying sober is a miracle and I will always be proud of someone for doing that. But a lot of people can get sober. I am more interested in how you STAY sober. If recovery was ONLY about choosing to not use everyday, relapse wouldn’t be so common and overdose deaths would decline sharply. Recovery is hard, maybe the hardest thing someone will do in their life. But if we aren’t putting the same energy into our recovery that we put into staying high/drunk, it’s only a matter of time until you find yourself white-knuckling it.
**(Picture is of my friend Eddie and I. Eddie is someone I know who has put everything into recovery and he is reaping the rewards. He is a walking miracle that is okay with getting uncomfortable when it is needed.)**

04/24/2026

I am so proud of Eddie, this is much deserved recognition. He has already overcome so much in his recovery. So much loss, grief, and severe medical issues that would have broken most people. But he has persevered and uses his voice to help others on a daily basis.

04/21/2026

I think a lot of people need to hear this. Especially in early recovery, having trouble setting boundaries and running yourself into the ground trying to please other people can take a toll.

04/21/2026

After I drop my daughter off at school, sometimes I pass the Ingham County Jail transport van on US127, surely on their way to take inmates to court. I remember being in that van dozens of times, as some of the worst days in that jail were court days. It serves as a reminder of how far I have come and how grateful I am to be a father.

From riding in shackles in the jail van, to driving my daughter to school in the morning, a lot has changed in those drives down US127.

04/17/2026

I know Jarrod Barron and can’t even begin to describe how big of a deal this is. This is what recovery looks like! I have known Jarrod for well over a decade and the entire time he has been working towards this, so to see him finally have all his hard work pay off is simply amazing.

From living under a bridge in Lansing to standing in a courtroom reclaiming his law license, Jarrod Barron’s story is the definition of resilience.

Addiction took everything from him. But with support, accountability, and a commitment to change, he rebuilt his life brick by brick. Today, he’s not only back in the courtroom, he’s helping others find their way out, too.

“There is hope and there is help.”

A powerful reminder: recovery is possible, and no one has to do it alone. ❤️

Story link in comments.👇

12/12/2025

I remember being up all night on a bender, when 6 or 7 AM came and people were getting ready to go to work while I was taking my last hits, it was the most depressing feeling. You feel like you are living in a different dimension than “normal” people.

12/12/2025

In the Q3 reports of Ingham County drug deaths, a 25-year old passed away from a combination of alcohol and 7-hydroxymitragynine, otherwise known as 7-OH or “gas station heroin” in the media. It’s mind boggling that 7-OH is legal to buy at stores all around our communities. It is an alkaloid found in Kratom that some say can be 20 times more potent than morphine. Unfortunately, until it is banned in Michigan, I believe we will start seeing more deaths from this. As a former opioid user, I am glad this wasn’t around when I was in my active addiction because this is too easy to get!