LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A national recovery tour made a stop in Las Vegas Saturday night, led by comedian Chris Farley’s brother, who said he is here for people who have not yet heard the promise of recovery.
Tom Farley is in town with the Mobilize Recovery bus, partnering with Foundation for Recovery and Narcan at Night. He said the goal is to get out of meeting rooms and into neighborhoods, reaching people on the streets who may never walk into a treatment center on their own.
“I tell every audience I speak to, don’t misunderstand what’s going on here. I’m here because I still need to heal, and telling my story helps me do that. Being around other humans that need to heal too, and really sending the message that we can’t do it alone. We need each other,” Farley said.
“We talk a lot about recovery and I’m in recovery. I do a lot of stuff in the recovery world, but not enough really at the lowest levels, just going out into a community and going to the people that really haven’t gotten the message or the promise of recovery yet. So we’re coming to them,” Farley said.
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Farley shares his own recovery journey
Farley said he grew up in a family where drinking was normative, and he did not think there was a problem with it. He said his brother, comedian Chris Farley, became more affected by addiction over time. When Chris Farley died of a drug overdose, Tom Farley said it became a wake-up call for him to advocate and spread a message, though he said he was only telling his brother’s story at that time.
Farley said it was not until years later that he entered recovery himself and started sharing his own story, which is when he said he began to feel real connection with audiences.
Farley said he lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and traveled to Las Vegas for the event. He said he started the Las Vegas visit at the Foundation for Recovery, talking with clients about his story before joining the community event.
Farley said his message is that life can get better, and that it gets better when people are not alone.
Volunteers to disperse naloxone across the valley
Volunteers fanned out from a central meetup Saturday night to hand out free naloxone across the valley and talk with people in alleys, bars and casinos about overdose and treatment.
Teresa Sands, board member for Narcan at Night, said the bus serves as a symbol of community connection. She said the bus tour has been running for about two years, traveling from city to city, and that Las Vegas was fortunate to host it in 2026. Sands said the bus was wrapped in Las Vegas for this stop.
Sands said the mobilized crew rode the bus to Substance Nightclub, where the Narcan at Night initiative meetup took place. She said more than 777 volunteers met at the nightclub for check-in, with speeches and a DJ, before dispersing across the Vegas Valley, including Henderson.
Sands said 15,000 doses of naloxone were distributed among 20 teams. She said the purpose of the event is to meet people where they are, rather than asking them to come to a building, including in alleys, bars and casinos.
Sands said the goal is to make naloxone education common so people know how to administer it. She said Las Vegas has made improvements in destigmatizing naloxone use, but said there is still work to be done.
Farley said sharing his own story still helps him heal, and he hopes it shows others that life can get better when they are not fighting addiction alone.
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