Former actor speaks on his battle against opioid addiction at UNCW

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Opioid addiction is obviously a big problem across the nation and here in the Cape Fear. The fight against it is also happening at UNCW.

John Mabry is an actor who travels the country with the organization, Addiction Campuses, to talk to others about how he overcame his addiction and how they can make the change in their life. He came to UNCW to speak to students and faculty about it. He says his life fell apart because of opioids, but he got back on track after his brother overdosed.

“Jobless, hopeless, wifeless. Scared out of my mind that I was going to end up like my brother. The one thing I didn’t do is I didn’t give up. I kept looking for more resources. I kept trying new things,” Mabry said.

He believes one of the key factors to battling addiction is support from others.

“The way you get people out of addiction is through community. It’s about connecting them with other people. It’s about connecting them with a cause greater than themselves,” Mabry said.

Addiction Campuses has a 24/7 hotline for anyone seeking help at 1-888-614-2251.