Author's fight with addiction, suicide featured at 2 Samartians events

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Coming back to Rhode Island under such circumstances was something Anita Baglaneas Devlin never imagined. Neither was the idea of letting go of the façade of the perfect Greek family, especially one strongly rooted in religious faith.  After all, her father was a Greek Orthodox priest. Then again, Anita Baglaneas Devlin never imagined she would be the mother of a son addicted to opiate pills and heroin.

The Samaritans of Rhode Island is offering two opportunities, May 10 and May 11, to hear author Anita Baglaneas Devlin tell a mother’s story of heartache, anger and, eventually, of hope. 

Devlin, a native of Pawtucket, together with her son Michael, wrote a memoir entitled S.O.B.E.R., an acronym for “Son of a Bitch Everything’s Real.” The title expresses how Devlin felt during the harrowing experience of helping her son navigate addiction and eventual recovery.  The story is written from two perspectives; Anita writes as a mother grappling with the stigma of her son’s addiction, fearing for his life, struggling to understand the disease and his thoughts of suicide. Michael writes of suffering emotionally and physically while in the grips of the disease, and offers an empowering message of recovery after months in treatment. 

“Anita’s journey is one from judgmental angry mom to nonjudgmental listener.  She wants women to care for each other, help each other and respect each other’s journey – no matter the outcome. That, too, is the message of The Samaritans and our model of befriending,” says Denise Panichas, Executive Director of The Samaritans.

On May 10, the program will be presented at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Community Center at 175 Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston. On May 11, it will be at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 50 Park Place in Pawtucket. Both programs will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include a lecture, book sale and signing. The program is being presented as part of The Samaritans 40th Anniversary.  Program supporters include the Ladies Philoptochos Societies of the Pawtucket, Cranston and Newport Greek Orthodox churches, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Pawtucket, Reverend Greta Getlein, pastor and SHRI Urban Revitalization Yoga.

For more information about S.O.B.E.R. and author Anita Baglaneas Devlin at www.anitadevlin.com, for more information on the Samaritans event, visit www.samaritansri.org or call The Samaritans of RI business line at 721-5220.

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