If the parents keep protecting them, kids don't learn and change their behavior. He speaks publicly about his family's crisis to increase awareness about drug addiction. He said substance abuse needs to be spoken about more, like AIDS, so that it will become a national health issue. He believes that if people talk about it, they'll be able to find others who struggle with it or who have family members who struggle with it and then can get help. The other 297 knew a person or had relatives who struggled with addiction, too, he said.
People are embarrassed to ask for help or admit they have a problem.
There's no greater stigma to it than lung cancer.