By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


An event this week will kick off a series of seminars that aim to combat the opiate crisis with an inside look at what addiction looks like.

Wake Up Livingston will be hosting virtual Reality Tours, twice a month in February. However, the series will begin with an event this Thursday, January 28th at the Historic Howell Theater, in which 25 people will be able to participate in person. The free Reality Tour, which begins Thursday, February 4th, will allow participants to follow the fate of a fictitious teen addicted to drugs. The Tour includes a student led dramatic skit accompanied by a narrative that includes the constant reminder to the audience that, “Once I was just like you.”

Each attendee will be given a drug abuse profile to adopt during the program and participants will have an opportunity to ask questions of local law enforcement and a recovery advocate. Families will also be offered information on how to talk to youth about substance use and abuse. Organizers say the presentations are recommended for children age 10 and up when accompanied by their parent.

The kickoff this Thursday will start at 6pm with a mini “Photovoice” where organizers will highlight photos taken by students in Livingston County. As space is limited, advance registration for both the kickoff and the tour events themselves is necessary.


Registration for the kickoff can be done by Clicking Here, while registration for the February tour events is available here.

Wake Up Livingston focuses on raising awareness about prescription drug use and abuse. The group is made up of community members and is a subcommittee of the Livingston County Community Alliance, which is a county-wide, anti-drug coalition that aims to unite the community to reduce and prevent youth substance use and to live a safe and drug free lifestyle. The group’s stated purpose is to connect the Livingston County community to establish and promote healthy community norms concerning the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.