A group of people wearing the same blue shirts gathered in Depot Park on Saturday. Some were running, while others were walking the exhibit highlighting practical ways to recover from addiction.
“I was an alcoholic for about 35 years. I lost my home, my wife (and) my job. I lost everything. I was homeless for three years,” said Wade D., a running race participant. To protect his anonymity. Anonymity is a core principle of his recovery program.” to get help.”
Wade D. has been recovering for five years.
“Recovery can happen to anyone. You just have to be willing to call for help and check your ego at the door. You cannot be responsible for your recovery. You have to let someone else help you,” he said.
“I teach children to stay away from drugs, tobacco, alcohol and other deviant behavior,” said Melody Laflame, coordinator at Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, a nonprofit that provides addiction treatment, mental health treatment and educational activities.
“We’ll help her stop drugs and help her get her baby back,” Laflame said of Meridian’s program to help mothers who struggle with addiction. “She had her baby, (then) we’ll help her stop using drugs.”
In addition to organizations like Meridian, which provide a wide range of services, other organizations focus on youth education. Amy Patrick and Lashai Johnson are project coordinators for the Alashua County Health and Wellness Promotion Alliance. Patrick said they educate and help young people by talking to and working with parents. They also give speeches and presentations in schools. Patrick said that some teens just think steam is cool and fun but don’t think about the addiction and the risks.
We are working against those laws. We understand that different laws are issued. Our goal is to limit access as well as educate about those various consequences,” Johnson said.
Although many states have declared marijuana legal, the Alachua County Health and Wellness Promotion Alliance continues to educate people about the dangers of the drug and make people aware of substance use disorders.
Over the years, the number of deaths from drug overdoses in Florida has gradually increased. However, many people still lack understanding and awareness of addiction. Hence, these non-profit organizations provide various education and services to solve this problem.
Besides a lack of knowledge about drugs and addiction, stigma is an important reason that prevents people from recovering.
Laflame said some of the students she taught at the school were embarrassed to say they went to Meridian, and some people with addiction are likely to be accused of being wrong.
Waters said stigma can prevent people with addiction from sharing their stories with others and seeking help from agencies.
The UF Health Florida Recovery Center and these organizations have long been working to break the stigma caused by substance use disorders and prove that recovery is possible. Anti-stigma is an important goal of Run 4 Recovery 5K.
“Doing public events, getting the community involved (and) having the Gainesville Police Department and volunteers helps show people in recovery that they can gain confidence and reduce shame, so I think that’s a big part of it,” Waters said. It helps them feel good about it by being confident in the recovery.”
Run 4 Recovery 5K aims to raise awareness of substance use disorders, break the stigma against addiction and celebrate people in recovery.
We want to educate the public. “We want to provide awareness and information only about substance use disorders, so I think the general public still has some misconceptions, and so we just want to provide education and spread awareness to as many people as possible,” said Rachel Waters, director. From the UF Health Florida Recovery Center.
The UF Health Florida Recovery Center provided each participant with a free T-shirt. “We had over 200 (people) registered. We had about 40 employees, and we have another 80 people from UF Health,” Waters said.
Run 4 Recovery 5K had vendors from local treatment providers and recovery models. These organizations presented self-test forms, gifts, and brochures at the fair.
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