Southeastern invites community to attend informational program on substance abuse/addiction

Press Release Date: 3-24-2011

DURANT, Okla. – "Substance Abuse and Addiction: Perception vs. Reality," will be the topic of an upcoming presentation by Reggie Whitten, founder of the Fighting Addiction Through Education (FATE) program.

The event, which is free and open to the general public, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, at 7 p.m. in the Bloomer Sullivan Arena at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The University is sponsoring the program.

Whitten, an Oklahoma City attorney, will share the story of his late son’s addiction and the impact on his family.

FATE is an Oklahoma non-profit organization with a mission to educate the public on substance abuse and addiction issues in Oklahoma and to motivate individuals and groups to work to significantly reduce the incidence of substance abuse in the state. A special focus of FATE is preventing substance abuse among young people.

According to the organization’s website, FATE was created to honor the memory of Reggie’s son Brandon, an “All-American” kid and football player who became addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol. When Brandon died at age 25 in a motorcycle accident caused by substance abuse, Whitten was devastated.

"I was a walking dead man," Reggie Whitten said. "I was just trying to find a reason to live." Giving back to the community and trying to make a difference in the lives of others became his passion.

Central to the mission of FATE is reducing drug and alcohol abuse among young people like Brandon who often consider themselves “bullet proof” and don’t believe they can ever become an addict.

"I think the worst problem this country has is drug and alcohol addiction," Whitten said. "If we had an act of terrorism that killed as many people, we would be quick to launch a war against our enemy. When we formed FATE, we asked ourselves ‘How can we prevent drug and alcohol abuse?’"

Whitten travels around the state on behalf of FATE speaking to groups about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse – telling and re-telling the story of his son’s too-short life and untimely death. "I intend to devote the rest of my life to helping end substance abuse and addiction," he said. & I want to motivate and inspire other people to do something. I hope those who see what we’re doing will catch the vision and the passion. Not everyone can make a huge impact, but everyone can be a role model and encourage others to get help."

For more information about FATE, visit www.changeyourfate.org