Eric Wholey is a 28-year-old from Pepperell, MA. His journey with addiction began in adolescence with prescription painkillers. After battling with opioid dependency and blackout drinking, Eric began injecting heroin at age 18. He is currently six months sober, and is living a lifestyle dedicated to recovery. He spends his time volunteering at AHOPE, a harm reduction and needle exchange program, collecting clothing to donate to various shelters, and helping others struggling with addiction get into treatment. Eric says he is becoming the person his eight-year-old self would look up to — and he aims to be a gleam of hope for those around him.
(This is a photo series created for the Humanizing Multimedia Stories course at Emerson College. The project website can be found here. The project was featured in the college’s Huret Spector Gallery alongside audio interview excerpts, which can be found here.)
Adrien Salzberg 