"Let us all come together in peace, understanding, and love in the midst of a war that is raging upon the bodies, minds,
and souls of those precious to us. Let us act before we lose one more son, daughter, friend, relative, or neighbor."
Jackson Rannells - Not An Easy Fix's founder
WHO WE ARE
​We are a group of concerned citizens bringing to light the horrific effects and devastation that opioids, fentanyl, and other addictive substances have caused and are continuing to cause throughout our beautiful communities. We want to offer support, direction, and hope. We acknowledge addiction is ‘not an easy’ journey, but ‘there is always hope’ and many ‘fixes’ that can be tried and applied to potentially change the course of a life. We will address the issues and solutions to help make a difference.
OUR MISSION
Our objective is to improve the health and wellness of our loved ones, families & communities by:
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Educating and Raising Awareness about the Opioid Epidemic and Fentanyl Crisis
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Advocating and Taking Action against the Stigma of the Disease of Addiction
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Providing Resource Information for Prevention, Treatment & Recovery from substance use disorder
WHAT WE DO
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Present Live Events – Host community gatherings throughout the year to learn, to grow, to support each other, to celebrate those in recovery and to remember those we have lost.
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Share on Social Media - Use various media platforms to increase awareness and bring strength in numbers.
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Form Community Partnerships - Build effective alliances with other area organizations to tackle this cause together.
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Create a Photo Memorial – Display an ongoing photo wall of our loved ones on our website and at events to honor their lives.
Today, fentanyl is the leading
cause of death in the U.S.
for adults ages 18-45
22 adolescents 14-18 years of age died in the U.S. each week in 2022 from drug overdoses driven by fentanyl in counterfeit pills
U.S. Overdose Update
2022 - 111,029 deaths
2023 - 110,037 deaths
2024 - 80,391 deaths
N.J. Overdose Update
2022 - 2,892 deaths
2023 - 2,573 deaths
2024 - 1,803 deaths
Somerset County
Overdose Update
2023 - 31 deaths
2024 - 35 deaths
WHY WE MUST ACT !
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Over 294 people die every day from drug overdoses in the U.S.
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1,803 people died in New Jersey of drug overdoses in 2024, with most linked to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
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Every 5 minutes someone dies from Fentanyl 'poisoning' in the U.S.
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Fentanyl has been found in heroin, cocaine, meth, ecstasy, marijuana, and counterfeit pills appearing identical to prescription medication e.g. Oxycontin, Percocet, Xanax, Adderall, etc.
How Did NOT AN EASY FIX Begin?
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In early 2018, Not An Easy Fix’s founder, Jackson Rannells, came up with a vision for a needed community healing and honoring event promoting addiction awareness that would include speakers, resource tables, music, a memorial photo wall and candlelight vigil for those loved ones from his community that had passed. He also dreamed of reaching youth by producing multi-media assemblies at local schools to deliver effective messages against substance abuse.
To read more about Jackson's personal story
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