As Heather Hayes was gathering information for her speech, A Nation Held Hostage, she created an acronym for a call-to-action in helping fight the mental illness of addiction. RESIST is built around teaching others about respecting those who are fighting the addiction battle and their families, and empowering them to overcome the fear of seeking ethical treatment for addiction. Sharing information is also part of the acronym, as we need to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of addiction. There are many resources available for this purpose, and we need to educate others and raise awareness about the stigma surrounding addiction. It is imperative that we send a message to those suffering and their families that they are not alone and safe, ethical treatment available.

Listen to Klay Weaver, CEO at Lifeskills South Florida and Heather talk more about RESIST.