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Dear Live4Lali Family & Friends,

With the difficult year that we all have had, gratitude and thanks may not be at the top of many peoples list. Covid-19 has brought about a drastic shift in the world as we knew …

“OxyContin maker to plead guilty to federal criminal charges, pays $8 billion, and will close the company.”

To the average person, $8.3 billion cannot even be fathomed. As the headlines popped up, and dozens of people either sent …

September 17, 2020

Dear North Chicago/Waukegan Participants and Community Partners:

We are sorry to inform you that we will not be providing services to your area today and will be temporarily suspending mobile outreach services for the time being. We …

My name is Grace, and I’m a college student. With two years of college under my belt, and this new knowledge that I have acquired through being a Communications Intern at Live4Lali, questions about drug use in college in comparison …

“I don’t respect people who drink or smoke. Like, you need a chemical to make you feel good? That’s not okay.”  My jaw drops, and I ‘stretch’ over my shoulder to see who it was that made this preposterous statement. …

“The drug war, from its very inception, has never actually been about drugs. I often jokingly refer to it as ‘The war on (some people who use some) Drugs,’ but that isn’t really a joke. It’s just a clear statement …

I am a person in recovery from addiction to anything that numbed my soul. I am a person….who has made a choice to be a harm reductionist. I found the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous four years ago. My belief …

           “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain,” – Bob Marley

Humans are fascinating creatures.

Eons ago, progenitors of the human race crawled out of the sea and shook their skinny fists towards the …

National Public Radio (NPR) recently published an article on February 16th, revisiting rural areas impacted by Indiana’s HIV outbreak after five years due to the sharing of used needles. Sadly, not much has changed since that time, and fewer …

I believe in heavenly signs. On March 5^th, 2019 my handsome, creative, sweet, and brilliant son, Anders Meisenheimer, lost his battle with addiction.  As the parent of an addict, you think you “somewhat” prepare yourself for this …

Peer support can be defined as the process of giving and receiving nonprofessional, nonclinical assistance from individuals with lived experience to achieve long-term recovery from mental health or substance use disorders. Through shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment, …

Since losing my son, Alex “Lali” Laliberte, over 11 years ago as a result of an accidental polysubstance overdose, I’ve pondered the thought, “Would I consider myself knowledgeable in grief and loss?”, probably. I’ve …

Imagine this scenario: You have an illness, you go to your doctor, and the two of you together decide the best course of treatment, which may include medication. You feel relieved to have a plan, see a way out …

My name is Laura, and I’m a survivor of many things, including incest, domestic violence, rape, mental illness, and cancer. Throughout my life, I have thrived through and with my traumas. I have felt tremendous support during all of …

My son, Cole, began experimenting with drugs in his very early teens. What started as a pure curiosity to feel a buzz after drinking a beer or smoking marijuana broadened into the use of a long list of drugs. None …

My story of healing begins in July 2016 in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

At the age of 22, I was living life as an active heroin user at the deepest of downs in my addiction…again. I had been …

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Approves Dsuvia (sufentanil), a drug 1,000 times stronger than morphine for medical use

The FDA’s decision has been met with a lot of criticism due to the addiction and overdose crisis we currently …

Today, Live4Lali announced its enhanced approach for 2018-2021 to address the addiction and overdose crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016, 63,600 Americans died from all drugs, including non-opioids. This is an increase of …

October 26, 2017

The White House
c/o President Donald J. Trump
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We cannot thank you enough for declaring the opioid epidemic a public health crisis …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chelsea Laliberte
Phone: 844.584.5254 x802
Email: [email protected]

September 26, 2017

LIVE4LALI AND TASC PARTNER TO OFFER WEEKLY RECOVERY NIGHTS FOR CHICAGO LOCALS AFFECTED BY ADDICTION

(Chicago, IL) – Motivated by the devastating …

Drug-Induced Homicide Laws: Doing More Harm Than Good

By Chelsea Laliberte

Over the past ten years Americans have been engaged in a harrowing but necessary conversation about the opioid crisis that begs the question “how did we get here?” …

Harm Reduction Outreach

In an effort to reduce overdose deaths, HIV and Hepatitis C transmissions, and barriers to treatment, Live4Lali and the Lake County Health Department are teaming up to offer a new local strategy. Motivated by the …

The following is an email that our son, Jared, prepared for his “Sober Coach” after he agreed to accept our help and try to change. He had just confessed to us that he had graduated to using heroin. I found …

Lake County State’s Attorney, Michael G. Nerheim
Law Enforcement Advisor to Live4Lali

I have practiced law as an Assistant State’s Attorney and criminal defense attorney, and I now serve as the Lake County State’s Attorney. I have witnessed the opioid …

Dr. Adam Rubinstein, Internal Medicine
Physician Advisor to Live4Lali

Whenever a person completes suicide, it’s a tragedy. Our national collective tragedy occurs every 13 minutes. That means that if a student drives a friend from College of Lake County’s …

When my oldest son was well into his recovery from his heroin addiction we were able to have some frank discussions as to what his mother and I might have missed. We also discussed what parents should do and not …

COME AND CHECK OUT SUBURBAN CHICAGO’S NEW DIRECT ACCESS POINT FOR NALOXONE TRAININGS, EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND TREATMENT NAVIGATION. 

Substance-related hospital admissions and overdose fatalities across Chicago’s communities are at an all time high. The CDC reports that 120 people die …

Today, our cofounders/mother-daughter team, Jody Daitchman & Chelsea Laliberte are heading to Springfield, IL to testify for HB1466 AKA “Lali’s Law” which expands Narcan access to pharmacies! Any layperson 18+ can walk into a pharmacy to get training and equipped …

Are you as FED UP as we are about the federal government’s lack of response to the opioid crisis? We are proud members of the FED Up Rally and our director Chelsea Laliberte, serves as a member of the …

There were 339 prescription opioid deaths in IL in 2012! About 80% of the 120 fatal overdoses per day in America are from opioids. The availability of abusable Rx opioids has sent our country into a tailspin. Faced with the …

Yesterday started like any other day. I got up, got ready, walked my dog, made a quick breakfast and headed out the door to my meeting with the Buffalo Grove Police Department to develop our addiction and overdose response plan …

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The impact of drugs around the world…

“A promising heroin vaccine has been in the works for some time, and it has even shown great success in clinical trials on rats. Yet, this wonder drug has received little media attention and even less funding.”

To learn …

We were proud to be recently featured in the Daily Herald. Their article highlighted Chelsea Laliberte, our Executive Director and the work she provides to the community. Please take a look at the article here: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20141226/news/141228992/

All photos provided by …

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Click here to read The Fix’s phenomenal feature story written by our friend Zachary Siegel, about the incomparable Dan Bigg AKA The Patron Saint of Harm Reduction.

When I first met Dan Bigg, cofounder and director of the Chicago Recovery …

12 Facts of Christmas coming at you with a hot off the press factoid! Prevention efforts are working. This is progress, not perfection. We are proud to have educated 2,500 students this year. Help us keep the momentum going by …

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On the the first day of Christmas Live4Lali taught me…

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Six years ago, we thought if we could help just one person or family through our work then we were doing something important. Today we never thought our tragedies would enlighten and motivate people to seek assistance for their mental …

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http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGgPEzRwuU

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I know what you’re thinking. “Just what we need…another drug.” But really, “drugs” in the general sense, are everywhere. Food is a drug. Sex is a drug. Learning or working can be drugs. We are surrounded by ways to cope …

Our brand new Facebook group is intended to provide support, resources, education, news and beyond for siblings who have lost a sibling to a drug overdose. This is a place where you can bring up any feelings, thoughts or …

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A message from our Executive Director, Chelsea Laliberte:

I am fortunate enough to have a mother who told me I was beautiful every day of my youth, and even today. Despite her best attempts at instilling positive self-image in little …

One of the most common question we get asked is, “why can’t the DEA just shut down the heroin trade?” Well, it’s not as simple as you might think. In an industry that profits $400 billion per year on a …

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Let’s go back, way back to the 1980’s when when the Reagan Administration began implementing divided sentencing for cocaine possession and crack cocaine possession. Many people are unaware of the major differences between the two drugs, and the truth of …

Raum Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor has publicly recommended that the city amend their drug policies. Many say this is a political maneuver but many from across the systems affected see its value. Where do you stand? Read the Chicago Tribune article …

Our Outreach Coordinator, Genevieve Przybylo, came across this gem yesterday at her local neighborhood Walgreens. As you could imagine, we were all happy to finally see the information publicly emphasized regarding hydrocodone’s restriction. For those unfamiliar with what’s happening, hydrocodone …

U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D- Naperville, IL) has done it! For a long time we have been hearing about Rep. Foster’s amazing concern and understanding of a great need for opioid abuse education and overdose prevention. Read about it here: …

Addiction – to anything – can be a very confusing disease to grasp even for those who are suffering from it. When the active user or their loved ones are discovering what addiction is and learning to accept its presence …

We all have heroes! One of ours is Dr. Carl Hart professor of psychiatry and psychology at Columbia University. Dr. Hart’s remarkable work has provided America with groundbreaking, up-to-date education about the biological, social, legislative, economic, and racial implications of …

The evening of August 30, 2014 was memorable for our entire team. Since early March, we worked tirelessly to put together this evening of remembrance, hope and action. It was incredible to see it all come together and even more …

A Message from Live4Lali’s Executive Director, Chelsea Laliberte:

Welcome to our labor of love and consider yourself a member of the family. Live4Lali is an organization dedicated to providing a voice for the voiceless, advocating for the rights and services …