CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Matthan Poole knows he's lucky to be given a second chance after he hit rock bottom from a drug overdose.
"I actually overdosed and I died. My wife revived me," Poole told First Coast News.
He's the outreach pastor at The Springs Church in Orange Park. He's also a former drug addict, now clean for 11 years, but he knows others may not be as fortunate.
"There is not a family that we don't know that hasn't been affected in some way or another," he said.
He joined a community conversation on drug overdoses and the use and abuse of opioids in Clay County.
"I talk to a lot of families that they have a family member that's using these drugs and they don't know anything about it," said Clay County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Glenn East.
First responders detailed the grip drugs have on families: 529 opioid overdoses were reported in Clay County last year. The county says 37% of the people who overdosed were 30 to 49-year-olds.
"That's only the ones we know about. There is a lot more that go unreported," East said.
Pastor Poole is making sure his congregation is aware of the consequences and the deadly decisions that can result when people become dependent on drugs.
"If you are struggling, if you are battling, if you are facing, reach out. Reach out for the resources. Reach out for help. There is hope," he said.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a warning ahead of Spring Break season about the use of drugs and mixing drugs with alcohol, including the highly deadly fentanyl.
To read her safety message, click here.