LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Thousands of junior and senior high school students from Massachusetts and New Hampshire attended the inaugural Massachusetts Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness Tuesday at Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
The summit was meant to educate students about the dangers of opioid abuse and encourage them to make healthy life choices. James Wahlberg, brother of actor Mark Wahlberg and executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, organized the event.
“People always think it won’t happen to me. Parents always think it won’t happen to us,” said Wahlberg. He said when he visits junior high schools and asks students to raise their hands if they know someone who died of an overdose, 80 percent of the students’ hands go up. Wahlberg also screened “If Only,” a film he co-produced about the state’s opioid crisis.
At the summit, families and loved ones of those who died of drug overdoses shared their stories.
“He was in rehab multiple times, he was sectioned multiple times and it had such a grip on him. He died in a Dunkin Donuts bathroom,” said Steven Goodell, whose son died of an overdose.
Peabody native and former Miami Marlins pitcher Jeff Allison also spoke to the students about his struggle with opioid addiction.
“My rock bottom was pretty brutal and I spent a good amount of time in jail,” said Allison. “I finally made a choice to live instead of die.”
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)