Dr. James Flowers
My mother losing her child is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen today. You never get over losing your child.
HOUSTON (PRWEB)
August 31, 2021
International Overdose Awareness Day is at the end of the month. For local mental health expert Dr. James Flowers, it’s every day since college, when he lost his sister to addiction.
On August 31st, the J. Flowers Health Institute will fill its offices with purple flowers to remember those who’ve lost their lives to addiction.
A tragedy too familiar for CEO, Dr. James Flowers.
“In my own life, my older sister (Brenda) was a drug addict with cocaine and eventually a heroin addict,” said Flowers. “Hers started with pot and eventually escalated to cocaine and heroin. She ended up falling to her death from an eighth-story balcony. I watched my mother and sisters go through tremendous grief, as well as myself, and it’s one of the most challenging things we’ve ever gone through.”
Brenda’s death inspired him to consult with leading treatment centers throughout the U.S. Subsequently, Dr. Flowers started his own unique recovery treatment program in centers throughout Texas over the last 30 years.
Dr. Flowers founded the J. Flowers Health Institute here in Houston nearly three years ago to help individuals and their families with the most complex medical cases, including substance abuse and addiction. And in that short amount of time, the team company has outgrown its Houston offices.
“I’m glad we’re able to help people, but it has been a record year for admissions,” said Flowers.
Nearly one hundred thousand people (adults) have died from overdoses during the COVID pandemic from March 2020 through this month. On this International Overdose Awareness Day, Dr. Flowers uses his family’s story to tell the community that death from drugs leaves behind a lifetime of grief.
“When my sister fell eight stories, the police brought my mother a brown paper sack, folded at the top, and handed it to my mother. When my mother opened it, it was my sister’s clothes,” said Flowers. “My mother lived another 40 years and wouldn’t throw that bag away. I begged my mother to get rid of it. When she passed away, it was still in her bedroom. My mother was one of the most resilient women in the world, and still, she was never able to overcome that. My mother losing her child is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen today. You never get over losing your child.”
Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States, with over one hundred drug overdose deaths occurring every day. Dr. Flowers warns most deaths involve prescription painkillers.
“Everyone’s pain is real, but there are healthier ways to cope. That’s why the J. Flowers Health Institute is here,” said Flowers. “We get to the root of your pain; the path to healing starts there.”
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