During the Americas Lodging Investors Summit in January 2016, myself long with more than 150 hospitality executives rappelled down 26 stories at the JW Marriott L.A. Live. Together we raised over $1 million to benefit Shatterproof, a national organization focused on preventing and treating addiction to drugs and alcohol. Shatterproof’s founder, Gary Mendell, was the previous Chairman for HEI Hotels & Resorts. Gary’s son, Brian, lost his life to addiction in 2011 so it was an honor to show our support.
While the thought of rappelling off the side of the JW Marriott had me shaking, it was worth every moment knowing our team was helping fight such a worthy cause. I encourage others to take the Shatterproof Challenge for an unbelievable experience – both physically and emotionally.
Addiction sneaks up on our teens and leads to a cycle of shame, isolation, failure — and, far too often, death. Here is a bit more information from our friends at Shatterproof regarding Addiction:
Addiction permeates every geographic corner of the country and every socioeconomic class. It takes the life of more than 120,000 people annually, making it the third largest cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. With more than 22 million Americans suffering from addiction, it is the nation’s fourth most prevalent disease. Those who are plagued by addiction, and the scores of millions who love them, find their lives shattered. All told, at least 100 million Americans suffer directly or indirectly from this disease – nearly one in three people in this country.
Even more troubling, while the trends for cancer and heart disease deaths are declining significantly due to early detection, behavior change and improved treatment, the number of those dying from drug use continues to rise, doubling between 1999 and 2007.4 The number of overdose deaths caused by prescription painkillers alone has increased four times between 1999 and 2010.
In addition to the direct human toll, the societal costs of this disease in the United States are staggering. In financial terms, the cost of addiction exceeds $400 billion a year in health care, criminal justice and lost productivity. Beyond these measurable costs, addiction is inextricably linked to poverty: the poor are more than twice as likely to be addicted as those above the median household income. It has trapped millions in a relentless cycle of academic failure, crime and poverty, devastating neighborhoods everywhere. Taken together, all of this makes addiction the most significant crisis in the United States today.
