Author to discuss drug abuse in Houlton

HOULTON – A Berwick resident and author who has seen firsthand the damage that drug abuse can do to both users and their families will be in town Monday evening to share her story with residents of Houlton and surrounding communities.

Cindy Doucette, who penned the book “It Can Happen To Any Family” after her 18-year-old daughter, Candice, died from a drug overdose, will give a presentation at the Center for Community Health Education at Houlton Regional Hospital.

The event is sponsored by the Link for Hope Coalition.

Doucette began writing the book the autumn after her daughter’s death from overdose in March 2003. Candice Doucette died in New Hampshire, just a few weeks before her high school graduation.

The 288-page book details the struggles and the grief that the Doucette family endured as they dealt first with Candice’s depression and drug use and then with her sudden death. The memoir depicts the years leading up to Candice’s overdose, including tales of her hospitalization and the teen’s increasing dependency on drugs.

Doucette is sharing her story in an effort to raise awareness about drug addiction and give parents the tools they need to find the resources that are there to help them.

An alliance that has worked for years to create a safe, healthy and productive community, the Link For Hope Coalition has sponsored several events as part of its continuing effort to help sweep drugs off the streets.

Last May, the coalition held a forum titled “Taking Back Our Communities From Drugs,” which was attended by a standing-room-only crowd. The session targeted both young people and adults in two programs that ran simultaneously. Topics included the types of drugs available, how to recognize signs of abuse, and statements from recovering addicts.

The consortium capitalized on the success of the gathering with a second session later that month.

Last July, coalition members spoke about their work at the Drug Endangered Children Conference for the New England region, held in Portland.

The Monday evening session, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Doucette will have books on hand and will hold a book signing.