Tewksbury Family to Appear on 'Katie' to Discuss Dangers of Addiction

Zack Johnson, 23, of Tewksbury, will appear on "Katie" Monday at 3 p.m. along with his mother and Tewksbury resident Gina Borrazzo to speak firsthand about the dangers of drug addiction stemming from use of prescription drugs. 

Borazzo said her family was approached as members of the support group Learn to Cope to help bring awareness to the epidemic of drug addiction by appearing on "Katie" to share their story.

"We're trying to bring a face to addiction and get rid of the preconceived notions about addiction and the preconceived notions about the face of the addiction," Borazzo said. 

One of these preconceived notions is that addiction can only happen in cities, not in the suburbs, according to Borazzo.

"My son went to good schools, comes from a good community, had good parents. We all know what we're supposed to do as parents  to raise a kid right, but there's nothing in the handbook about this," Borazzo said. 

Addiction to prescription drugs can often lead to addiction to drugs such as heroin, something that Borazzo witnessed firsthand with her son Zack.

"These kids are starting with pharmaceuticals and turning to heroin when they can't afford pills anymore," Borazzo said

Borazzo said she was at first hesitant to tell her family's story on "Katie."

"I agreed to do the show, but I was tentative because I did not want to exploit my son or my family," Borazzo said. "I agreed because we need to draw attention to this epidemic."

In the end, Borazzo decided to appear on the program with her family to bring more attention to the epidemic of addiction. 

"Although the show highlighted my family's struggle with addiction, my intention was to bring awareness to the problem on a larger scale," Borazzo said. "It's a public health crisis." 

If you have a family member struggling with addiction, there are Learn to Cope meetings on Tuesdays at Tewksbury Memorial High School at 7 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Lowell General Hospital Saints Campus.