Addiction is Real, Inc.

04/23/2026

Teens with support don’t avoid stress — they have ways to process it.

And sometimes, that starts in their bedroom.

Look for the green flags 👇

✅ Sketchbooks or coloring materials
✅ Fidget tools or stress-relief items
✅ Journal with regular entries
✅ Calm-down items such as a weighted blanket, cozy space for decompression or affirmations

These aren’t just “things.”
They’re coping skills in action.

And healthy coping mechanisms are powerful protective factors. ✨

04/22/2026

Join the St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department and CRUSH Coalition for this special FREE event! ⭐️

There will be free raffle prizes, and a variety of fun activities, including but not limited to:
•Youth Programming (Soccer, Basketball, Pickleball, and Gymnastics)
•A Bounce House
•Face Painting
•Balloon Artists
•Ambulance tours
•FREE Burgers and Hotdogs..and more!

No registration is required - stop by to learn valuable information while having fun!
Join St. Charles Parks & Recreation and the CRUSH Coalition for a special FREE community day!

04/21/2026

Addiction doesn’t start with addiction.

It starts with risk factors—trauma, mental health challenges, peer pressure, and sometimes genetics. 🧬

In fact, genetics can account for up to 40–70% of addiction risk.

But here’s the hopeful part:
Delaying use changes outcomes.

Prevention works. And it starts with us. ❤️

04/17/2026

We are less than two months out from the Alec Ehrhardt Memorial Golf Tournament on June 15, 2026!

Addiction doesn’t discriminate, and it rarely looks the way people think it does - until it’s too late.

Kent Ehrhardt - who many of us know as Channel 4’s meteorologist - tragically lost his son, Alec,
to alcohol use disorder.

In his son’s memory, the Alec Ehrhardt Memorial Golf Tournament will raise funds to support Addiction is Real, an organization that brings hope to communities by equipping trusted adults with tools, real-life insight, interactive exhibits, and presentations to prevent or delay addiction and youth substance use.

For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/m/AlecEhrhardtMemorialTournament
call (636) 209-5601 or email erin@addictionisreal.org.

04/14/2026

One in four children faces risk factors for addiction.

That’s not someone else’s kid. That’s our community.

Prevention starts with informed, trusted adults—parents, teachers, coaches, neighbors—who know what to look for and how to respond.

You don’t have to have all the answers.
You just have to be willing to start.

Addiction Is Real is here to help.

Use this toolkit to start important conversations in your community:
https://addictionisreal.org/parent-toolkit/

04/12/2026

The Addiction is Real, Inc. crew had such an amazing Saturday helping Christopher Pondoff and Pondoff's Anonymous facilitate an important conversation with many warrior moms! ❤️🙌 thanks to everyone who attended and to leaders of Gathering Now for supporting this effort 💪🫶🏻

04/09/2026

A child’s bedroom can tell a story—sometimes one they can’t say out loud.

Watch for these red flags. 🚩

⛔️ No photos with family members, mentors, or friends
⛔️ Removal or destruction of cards, notes, or shared items
⛔️ No evidence of shared experiences or belonging
⛔️ Hostile or isolating messaging
⛔️ Evidence of regression from friendships

Isolation is loud. Disconnection is visible.

Let’s pay attention—and reach out when it matters most. ❤️

04/04/2026

Attention All Parents in the St. Louis, MO area affected by Addiction:

Join us on Easter Sunday and April 11 as we work with local Christian orgs to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction, support parents and help their communities start life-saving conversations. Not religious? Neither are many of us, come anyway!

Invitation from Addiction is Real, Inc. Board Member, Tennille Heitkamp! Please join us tomorrow at either service! ❤️:

Hello everyone, I was asked by my pastor if I would share a short testimony of hope during the Easter services. 9:00 & 10:45 at The Factory in Chesterfield. After the sermon with the testimony he is going to ask moms of loved ones affected by addiction to come forward for a blessing. We are hoping to show that this disease does not discriminate and its nothing to be shameful about and your not alone. Gathering Now started Underground Recovery back in October - it’s on Wednesday nights. What they have noticed is mothers and fathers looking for help on how to deal with a child in recovery or active addiction. They are really leaning in to help our community. Christopher Pondoff who runs Pondoff's Anonymous has met with me and Erin and has become an incredible partner up with Addiction is Real!

So I invite you to come stand with me on Easter to show hope to others and that they are not alone.

# # # #

Also on April 11th 9am-11:30am we are having a moms (and dads)round table at Underground Recovery which is at the Gathering Mcausland location, to brain storm how we can help the Underground community in education for the moms and support the parents/adult of the Gathering community as they embrace/learn about stigma reduction/treatment/recovery and prevention.

Email Tennille with any questions! Tennille@addictionisreal.org

04/02/2026

If you have a child in school, you need to know about nitazenes. 💯

Nitazenes are a highly potent class of synthetic opioids that have increasingly been detected across Missouri. Originally developed for medical research, they are now appearing illegally in the drug supply.

Through data provided by the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS), 26 of 37 schools that have participated in voluntary school wastewater testing tested positive for nitazenes.

Awareness saves lives:
⚠️ You can’t see, smell, or taste nitazenes
⚠️ They’re often mixed into other substances
⚠️ Nitazenes are 5 to 10 more potent than fentanyl

The good news is that Naloxone can still reverse overdoses. 👏

Speak with your children about drug usage and what to do in the case of an overdose. This isn’t about fear—it’s about staying alive. 💛

03/30/2026

When it comes to your child's bedroom, privacy is healthy 💚 Secrecy plus defensiveness is different. Green flags to look for:

✅ Door can close — but not barricaded
✅ Adults can enter (with a reasonable expectation of privacy) and converse
✅ No strong scents, constant incense, or heavy air freshener use
✅ No sudden environmental shifts that suggest concealment
✅ Devices out in the open (not hidden constantly)

💚 Prevention isn’t just about spotting problems—it’s about recognizing what’s going right.

12/19/2025

Addiction is Real, Inc.’s Volunteers are reducing the stigma surrounding addiction by sharing their stories at events, on social media and in the news. Zack and his mom have been a part of our team for years - we appreciate his willingness to be interviewed for this piece. Thank you, David Amelotti, for keeping a close eye on area opioid remediation funds and exposing improper spending (like the snow plow purchased in a St. Louis county community). The stat David reported - 80% of the inmates at the St. Charles County jail are dealing with an opioid/substance use disorder - is stunning. We are happy to hear St. Charles County has included medication assisted therapy, and peer support in their plans for the jail’s renovation using the funds the county has been awarded. No one chooses the life Zack has lived - this disease is horrible - he is doing so much to help others by working with our team ♥️ solid job Fred Rottnek!

A jail expansion will serve dozens of inmates.