Josh Roskovensky was, for all intents and purposes, an every day average American kid. And maybe in some ways he was even above average – he was smart, he was athletic and he was liked by his peers, teachers and coaches. As a student at Century High School he was captain of the football team and a wrestler. He traveled abroad to play rugby and earned a college scholarship. Within five years of graduating from high school, Josh was battling an addiction to Oxicontin and on Feb. 15 of last year, he took his own life at the age of 23.

Sadly, drug use and suicide numbers in Carroll County are startling. According to the State Medical Examiner, in a 15-month period -- from June 1, 2009 to Oct. 1, 2010, Carroll County had 23 suicide deaths and 30 overdose deaths: 53 in total. Josh's story is not uncommon and his family has committed to help other families who may find themselves heading in the same direction.

Josh's parents, Deb and Thomas Roskovensky, have partnered with the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church at 2205 Old Liberty Road in Eldersburg in an effort to increase awareness of drug use and suicide. On Sunday, January 9, they will host the first annual Drug and Suicide Awareness Forum: Real Life in Carroll County, in honor of their son, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church.

Thomas Roskovensky said that sometimes they just want to forget and move on, but if they can help just one other family who is going through this, then the pain of talking about their son and revisiting his addiction is worth it.

"The whole idea here is to increase awareness. There are people you can talk to. We just didn't know about addiction and how it works. If we knew, we might have approached it differently. There are answers," Thomas Roskovensky said.

Roskovensky explained that his son acknowledged his addiction and had attended a rehabilitation program. He was working and appeared to be doing well.

"We assumed that he was getting help and everything was fine. Thirty days is not enough to get anyone over addiction," Roskovensky said.

Linda Auerback, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator at Junction in Carroll County, said that it is vital to offer programs like this to the community.

"Programs like this give our community access to important information. Anytime change is needed, knowledge is needed," Auerback said. "If we are going to make a difference, we have to arm the community with knowledge."

Auerback added that there is still a stigma attached to talking about addiction and suicide. She said that not only is it important to distribute important information at this event, but it is also important simply to make it a part of the community's dialogue.

"There must be dialogue, we need to be vocal. We need to learn to talk freely about it (suicide). Young people need to feel like it's OK to have a conversation about it," Auerback said.

According to Judy Klinger, Supervisor of Counseling in Carroll County Public Schools, last year there were 320 suicide interventions in Carroll County public schools. One resulted in suicide, but as Auerback said, "this is definitely an option that kids consider".

Klinger noted that any mention of suicide must be investigated by school counselors so the number of 320 in one year represents incidents ranging from students who were overheard joking in the hallways to students who were in crisis and had to be admitted to the hospital. 

Sunday's event is free and open to the public. Roskovensky said that they are expecting upwards of 150 attendees. Speakers will include Tim Weber of Weber Sober Houses; Judy Klinger will talk about suicide prevention; Kelley Rainey of Junction, Inc., will address drug use and trends in Carroll County; the Roskovensky Family will share their personal experiences; and the Liberty High School Drama Club will present "Looking the Other Way," a new drama about teen culture and drug use.

The program is appropriate for kids in middle school and high school as well as young adults and parents. There will be lunch, live music, exhibitions and an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters. Call 410-895-6333 to RSVP.

"People think that they don't need to be informed on these topics because it doesn't directly affect them. But you never know when someone in your life is going to be in crisis, you're going to need these resources," Auerback said. "People need to know there's always another way out."