My name is Andrea Mihelich and I have the honor of being Head Administrator of The Addict’s Parents United (Tap United).  

I am originally from Scotland now living in Euclid Ohio. I have been married to my husband Dave for 29 plus years. I have also worked 30 plus years in the health care field.

I have four children and many others who call Me "mom". My qualifiers are my oldest two children, a son and daughter, and for today both are in long term recovery. I had a brief introduction to Al-Anon

After struggling with addiction for over 1 0 years, my son, Andrew, lost his battle to a heroin overdose.  My journey with the disease of addiction has been multi‐faceted involving my own recovery by educating myself on how addiction affects the brain and their judgment.  Andrew, before this monster took over, was a smart, caring and compassionate person who was loyal to his friends and family. My recovery has led me down a path of forgiveness of his initial choices that catapulted him and our family into chaos. Now, as I journey thru a never ending grief process, I hope to help others as they struggle. Our children matter, we matter. We are not alone in this and I know without a doubt that we MUST JOIN TOGETHER in order to be effective in conquering this epidemic and save lives. My child mattered, your child matters

Hi my name is Melinda Ross. I was a single mom of 3 children. Their Father, my ex husband is an alcoholic. My middle child is my addict. I questioned his drug usage many times. As his Mother I wanted to believe him when he said he doesn't do anything but smoke pot. Therefore, I try to put it in the back of my mind.  I wanted to pretend it wasn't true. After his first overdose I became addicted to his addiction. I kept thinking, I am his Mom, I can fix him. Wow was I wrong. I was so ashamed that I was "One of those Moms with one of those kids".  It took me a long time to get over the guilt of having an addict child. If it wasn't for Brenda Stewart I don't know where I would be right now.  I was very sick myself.

I have custody of my youngest daughter’s daughter.  Serenity is four years old and has lived with us for two years.  She is a beautiful child with a huge heart and above average intelligence.  

Three years ago life began to reveal that there was a serious drug problem with my daughter.  My life came to a halt and I went down into the depths of despair.   After suffering and floundering I found several things that changed my life and gave me hope once more.  It was AA/NA/CR meetings, and mentors and a group I became a member of called, “The Addict’s Parent United. “

I have read, studied, sought, prayed and cried an ocean of tears.  Sound familiar, you say?  Yes, I understand.  As the parent of an addict and an advocate for families fighting Substance Use Disorder; I see many people who share this commonality.  We find huge comfort when we realize we are not crazy, nor are we alone.  Others, like you, have been through some of the same crazy stuff.  

I have a twofold agenda.  To lead my family in recovery and support them becoming all God has planned for us to be and to bring a message of hope to the families suffering with addiction; fighting for rights and reform in all our communities and health systems and legal institutions until the rest of our country realizes the epidemic is real and must be addressed.   I will never give up.

 Now I tell people "Hey, I'm one of those Moms with one of those kids."  That's right my child has the disease of addiction!  I have found that telling my story helps others. Helping others helps me. I am honored that Brenda chose me to be an administrator for TAP UNITED when she started this group. I live in Champaign County, Ohio. 

I am a member of the Champaign County Opiate Task Force.  I have reconnected with my high school sweetheart. Between us we have five children and eight grandchildren. They are the reason I want to educate the world on the disease of addiction and erase the stigma and shame.

My name is Karey Dyer, but you probably know me as Skye Atus; which was taken from the Latin language meaning sky high.  I picked the name before I started my advocacy work for addiction.  I would qualify that I am high on life without any substance use.  

I am a mother of two beautiful daughters, who have both had issues with Substance Use Disorder.  My youngest daughter just graduated from rehab and is working very hard on completing one year clean.  She is 24 years old and her sister lives in Florida and is not using.  

Administration 

I’m Cathy. Married with three kids, three step-kids and 8 grandkids. I’ve been in recovery since 1986. Clean and sober since 1987. We lost my oldest daughter, Amy, to a heroin overdose on August 10, 2015. My husband and I are raising her youngest child. 

I’m one of the administrators on the Grands United page and an active participant in all the other groups. My goal is to help us all find a safe space to share our experience, strength and hope with each other.  As with many grandparents raising grandchildren due to our children’s substance use disorder, our lives have changed. It’s not quite how we envisioned our retirement, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

twenty-nine years ago but I didn't attend meetings regularly.  Skip a few years forward and I met a special lady on line in the rooms for support for parents -- her name is Brenda Stewart.  Our friendship grew into a very special bond.  We shared the same struggles that come with having the addiction disease in our families, and working together we found so many others that struggled as well.  Just discovering “You are not Alone” is in itself a comfort, but sharing our journeys and learning from each other evolved into a shared passion to help others like us.  

In this journey I too found myself getting crazier than the madness of my children's addiction, and realized I needed help.  I started self-care and meetings, and it saved me and my sanity.  I work a strong recovery.  I love sharing and giving back. My Passion is to serve my community and beyond by being an advocate to families who are struggling not knowing who, what or how to do critical decision making. I will readily admit that prior to getting the help I needed, I was the chief enabler in my home.

I want to pass along my experience and lessons learned. I attend many educational seminars and events to further my education and knowledge about the disease of addiction.  By working together, supporting each other, and learning from each other gives positive purpose to my daily walk on this journey.

Supported by Compassionate People, just like you.