Growing up without a mother, stopping the cycle of generational substance abuse, accidental overdose, the stages of personal change, depression, love queries aftermath, being better off as a foster child, and the elements of depression.

Mental health, depression, addiction, alcoholism, fentanyl deaths, overdose, jail, and suicide…the quality live audio recording of Departing Darkness, a communal exposition of substance abuse held November 15, 2023 in Madison Wisconsin. Over 100 friends packed the room, and in excess of 250 joined the FB live-stream.

Without discussion, we sit amidst an opioid and fentanyl epidemic. National suicide rates have reached true crisis levels. Alas, addiction and poor mental health casts their anguish upon us all. Eager to transcend the torment, chiefly we lack the comprehension of where or how to begin. Realities of outpacing the suffering lingers as a far-off fantasy, and a wealth of us are convinced there is no way out. Join author Roger Ray Bird and a cast of Bright Sparks for a demystification of the self-destruction. Roger shares his personal experiences as a user and drug dealer in Baltimore, and reads from his new book Daddy, Why Were You A Drug Addict?