By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Sept. 27 — Taylor Alger knows the impacts of addiction on a family, and she’s willing to share her story in order to help others. Andrea Good, John Winslow and Joy Lorien will also share similar stories this Saturday, Sept. 30 at Page County’s inaugural “Rise to Recovery Walk” at Page County High School.
“It’s no secret, the affects of addiction in our community. I can guarantee that there are not many people in Page County whose lives have not been touched by the problems of addiction…it’s prominent,” Alger said. “What is a secret is that people don’t want to talk about it. It’s okay to talk about it, and we want to show that.”
Page Alliance for Community Action is partnering with local recovery groups and planning a three-hour event on Saturday to raise awareness and educate the community on the issues surrounding addiction and the impact it has on our community. September is International Recovery Month, and the event corresponds with International Recovery Day on Sept. 30.
“[To talk about it] takes away the shame and it allows you to see you are not alone,” said Alger, the local event’s organizer. “People are losing their lives every day to substance abuse…but people are also stepping into recovery every single day.”
Local recovery groups, such as Strength in Peers, Free Indeed and 23 West Club, as well as Northwestern Community Services, will be participating or represented at the event.
The doors of Page County High School will open at 5:30 p.m., and Alger encourages everyone to arrive early so they can take advantages of the resources that will be on display in the Commons area — as well as free pizza, cookies and drinks — before moving into the auditorium.
In the Commons area, various stations will be set up to provide information on substance use resources, recovery resources, rapid revive training (such as the use of Narcan) and local programs and services.
At 6:15 p.m., the event will move into the auditorium to view a segment of the film “The Anonymous People” prior to a panel discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. The panel will consist of:
- Andrea Good, representing the recovery group Free Indeed, will talk about her own struggles with recovery;
- John Winslow, representing recovery group 23 West Club, will also share thoughts from his own recovery;
- Taylor Alger will share her perspective of being the child of an addicted parent;
- Joy Lorien will share the perspective of a parent with an addicted child;
- Megan Gordon, program director for PACA, will serve as moderator.
Following the panel discussion, attendees will be encouraged to head down to Panther Field at Buddy Comer Stadium to participate in a walk around the track, which will be lined with bags representing someone in recovery, someone in need of recovery or someone who never got to recovery.
“We do, however, want it to be uplifting,” Alger said. “I made a really good play list.”
According to Alger, only 1.4 percent of those who have suffered from substance use have sought treatment and 85 percent of those who do seek treatment relapse within a year.
“For every person it’s different…but one common factor in the success of those seeking recovery is having a community and network of support,” she said. “You don’t have to be alone…there is this whole network and community that is willing to support you.”
Alger says those in recovery often have to change their lifestyle, their friends, their social habits…and it often leads to isolation.
“Having people there who are not judging you, makes a huge amount of difference,” she said. “I think what we need to do is break the stigma [around recovery]…people trying to get clean and working hard and those stigmas don’t help. They need to believe in themselves and we need to help them do that. We need to have grace.”
It can take an average of 18 months to two years to fully recover from substance use, according to Alger, depending on the drug and the level of addiction. However, recovery is often a long process, as both the body and the brain heal. The key thing to remember, according to Alger, is that addiction is a symptom — a byproduct of trauma, abuse or other things. The root of the problem should be the focus, she says, rather than the symptoms.
“When people can live inspired, and with hope, and with a sense of community, it goes a long way,” she said.
Saturday’s “Rise to Recovery Walk” is a first-time event, but PACA hopes to make it an annual happening to promote awareness as more recovery groups emerge to help mitigate the problems that addiction cause.
“More recovery groups are being formed and more conversations are being had, but there’s still more work to do,” Alger said. “Long-term, I would like to see [the event] change the culture…where we can open our doors to those who are struggling, rather than slamming it in their face.”
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