KOLR 10 Story on the Heroin Crisis in Southwest Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- More people in the United States are now dying from heroin and opioid overdoses than car accidents. That makes it the leading cause of injury-related death in our nation, according to the CDC.

David Stoecker is no stranger to addiction.

CARA 2016: A Call to Action

If you were wondering who CARA is, I have an answer for you. First, it is not a who but a what. CARA stands for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. It is the largest federal, bipartisan legislation to date for addiction support services, with $40-80 million toward advancing recovery  support and treatment services in local communities and states across the country with the goal of saving countless lives and addressing the opioid/heroin crisis we currently find ourselves in.

Unite to Face Addiction: In the News

WASHINGTON – David Stoecker thought he would die of his addiction to opioids and methamphetamine, which consumed nearly 25 years of his life and landed him in jail more than a dozen times.

Today, the Springfield 43-year-old is clean and helping others battling drug and alcohol dependency. And he's about to lend his voice to an increasingly forceful addiction advocacy movement that hopes to take Washington by storm next month.

Are You M.A.D.

I went to a company conference a couple of weeks ago. I worked for a company called Alternative Opportunities, Inc. and we had just merged with another company called Preferred Family  Healthcare. Together, we cover 5 states and have almost 4,000 employees. The conference was so that people from both companies could have an opportunity to see what the other one did and network so that we could join forces and support each other better.

We also had plenary and break out sessions. The last plenary we had was by far the best, in my opinion. The guy was amazing; his father was a pastor and he was a former college football coach. To say that his session was motivational would be an understatement. When I walked out of his session I was ready to take on the world. The reason was because of a simple question he asked us, "Are you mad?"

A Call to Action for CARA 2015

CARA 2015 is the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015. It is the most expansive bipartisan federal legislation for addictive support services to date. It will save the lives of countless people by designating between $40 and $80 million to advancing treatment and recovery support services in state and local communities nationwide. The bill was first introduced in September of 2014 and reintroduced in February of 2015. It needs your help in order to pass. We will talk about how you can help in a bit, but I would like for you to know why it is important first.