Community members lit candles, shared stories, prayed, and cried together during the second anniversary of the Church of the Good Shepard’s addiction recovery program on Wednesday night.

Led by Pastor Dan Bernier, the ceremony commemorated those who have lost their lives in a fight against substance abuse disorder and carried a message of hope to those in recovery.  

“We pray that God welcomes all those who have died as a result of addiction,” said Bernier. “And we pray for those who mourn their death. May their broken hearts be healed and strengthened in faith.”

Carmen Dwyer learned about the devastating consequences of drugs when she lost her only child to addiction. After spending his adult life in multiple rehabs and sober houses, 27-year-old Michael Richman died this spring.

Dwyer was “scared, newly divorced and a single mom” the day she found out her son was using pills at the age of 12. Still not sure how much effect the drugs had on her son’s behavior, Dwyer sent Michael to a sober house, thinking he would return home “fixed.”

“He was there for seven days. I thought he was going to be normal again after coming back from detox,” said Dwyer. “Little did I know.”

Dwyer helped Michael battle his addiction for the next 13 years. Even though his music and newborn daughter motivated him to stay on the right path, he relapsed each time he got clean until he died in Morton Hospital in April. 

“Michael taught me so much in the past years of his struggle: Not to judge, to give others help, be compassionate. Everyone you meet is a good person, they just make bad choices,” Dwyer said. 

Wareham resident Karen MacDonald also spoke. MacDonald, who has been in recovery for 29 years, told her life story, including stories of loss, tragedy, trauma, and hope for a bright future.

When MacDonald first experimented with drugs at age 13, it was a way for her to escape from her negligent, “not the best parents.” 

“The first couple of times when I found marijuana, I was in heaven,” MacDonald remembered. “It was something that relieved me of my anxiety at that time and it made me laugh, and I can't remember all these years before having that happiness of that laughter in my life. And that was it.”  

As time went on, MacDonald’s addiction spiraled out of control, ending her college studies, and then her marriage. Her struggle with substance abuse continued until she found the strength to give up drugs in the 1990s. 

She has stayed clean ever since. Despite living through the loss of her mother, second husband, and mother-in-law, MacDonald has never found a reason to return to drugs. 

“That was my mantra for a long time: no matter what happens, you don’t have to pick up a drug. I would say that over and over and over because whether it is a good day, a bad day, a rainy day, a sunny day. In an alcoholic's mind, these are all excuses to use,” said MacDonald.

The Church of the Good Shepherd welcomes drop-ins at its addiction recovery center on the third Wednesday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. The church is located at 74 High Street.

Resources available at the center include recovery support groups, support groups for families, information on detox programs and free Narcan training.

For more information, call 774-326-0066 or email warehamfightingaddiction@gmail.com. Information is also available on the program’s Facebook page, Wareham Fighting Against Addiction.