Sunshine Stories

For almost a decade, Jessica Gomes didn’t address that she was living with HIV. Yes, she’d used intravenous drugs, but she’d been careful about what syringes she used. Yes, doctors...

Mark was only 12 when he started drinking alcohol to excess, smoking weed, and taking pills. Not long after he began shooting heroin, mimicking what the older people around him...

According to middle-class societal standards, no one could have guessed that Teena Weisler was a person struggling with drug and alcohol use disorder. She always had a job and a...

When people experiencing addiction tell John Lawlor their stories, he often nods along in empathy. John, a Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP) harm reduction specialist, knows what...

Timothy arrived at Beacon House in June 2024 with a swollen eye and bruises covering his body. A few days earlier, he’d been badly “kicked and stomped” on the street, treated at...

Before moving into Beacon House two months ago, Ryan and his girlfriend lived in a tent near railroad tracks behind the U-Haul building, sweltering through mosquito-filled summers...

To mark Overdose Awareness Day 2024, read Devin's Sunshine Story by guest contributor Theo Fountain. This powerful story is unique, featuring a person in recovery from drug use...

By: James Sherman When I first came to Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP), I had abscesses on both of my wrists. I was hesitant to go to the hospital because of a previous...

When, for the first time, Crystal and her husband have a small apartment of their own, they’re having a big party and everyone from Prevention Point Philadelphia is invited: Dee...

Eric never thought he’d make it to 30. He began using heroin when he was 19, overdosing twice. “There was no way I was going to make it through my 20s,” says Eric, now 33. He...