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Recovery in the News
Recovery begins with first step
Jefferson City News Tribune
April, 2007
A number of contributors to the Your Opinion column this month have expressed a viewpoint on a single topic.
That's not particularly unusual.
What is unusual is that during April's observance of Alcohol Awareness Month, they courageously have lifted the veil of anonymity to share poignant stories of recovery.
Their experiences show that although addiction cannot be cured, it can be managed through a program of recovery.
No one aspires to alcoholism. I doubt you've ever heard a youngster say: “When I grow up, I want to be an alcoholic.”
And yet, surveys show that alcoholism is among the most prevalent diseases in our country.
Alcoholism takes a toll far beyond the health and productivity of the addict. Parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, employers and the community all are affected.
Alcohol Awareness Month is designed to remind people that help is available for people who no longer are able to control their drinking and have a desire to stop.
The News Tribune publishes a Weekly Support Groups calendar almost every Tuesday in the Health Section. Times, dates and locations of meeting are listed.
Nothing is required of participants. They may choose to speak or simply listen. Anonymity is respected.
Every program of recovery begins with a single step.
Recovering alcoholics, and the community, want everyone to know that step is available.
Karen J. Mathis
The Courier-Journal
March 25, 2007
Dear Editor,
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol is the number one drug used by pre-teens and teens; the average age of first use is 12 (2004 Missouri Student Survey, DMH, ADA). As a member of the Compassionate Friends (a support group for people who have lost children) I know many people whose lives were devastatingly effected by their child being killed by underage drunk drivers. Anheuser Busch has a new product called Spykes, that contain 12% alcohol and comes in containers that are very colorful and appealing to the younger people, not to mention that they are easy to hide. I feel this product targets the youth and encourage them to drink. Please contact Anheuser Busch to protest the sale of this product which could lead to a fatal consequence. You may save a life.
Stacy Ledin
Jefferson City
Dear Editor,
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. I recently attended a rally and they shared information that the leading cause of death among adolescents is alcohol related incidents. I feel that the new product being put out by Anheuser Busch called Spykes, targets our youth and encourages underage drinking. I have two teenage children and I take the responsibility of educating them about alcohol and other drugs very serious. I would hope that Anheuser-Busch would rethink this decision about marketing this product as I think it promotes underage drinking. According to the Department of Mental Health, alcohol is the number one drug used by pre-teens and teens. Concerned parents, such as myself, need to speak up.
Rick Freeman
Jefferson City
Dear Editor,
April is designated Alcohol Awareness Month and is a time to reflect on, educate, and take action on issues regarding alcohol. As a person in recovery who nearly lost everything as a result of the ill effects that drinking had on my life, I feel it is my responsibility to speak out. Not everyone has problems due to the consumption of alcohol, but for those of us who do (or did) we can create much pain and damage before we realize what the problem is or what to do about it. I am so appreciative that there was a place for me to go to 12 years ago (treatment center) and that insurance covered it. It saved my life. It also showed me how to get into recovery so that I could sustain a clean and sober life. I had 3 DWI’s and still continued to drink because of my denial, lack of education about this illness and my inability to quit. I am so grateful that I never killed anyone, but the fact remains that 70 people do die everyday across the nation, that’s one every 22 minutes, due to an alcohol related accident. These are deaths that can and should be prevented.
Today I am an advocate for treatment and recovery. Individuals and family members who are afflicted by this illness can find it difficult to get information and access resources.
The Missouri Recovery Network is a statewide advocacy organization that promotes awareness, education and strives to reduce stigma connected with the disease. Project Director, Brenda Schell, is making great progress with the MRN mission. Our local Jeff. City Chapter meets on the 1 st Saturday of every month from 9 to 10am at 515 E. McCarty. If you would like to get involved and become part of the solution please feel free to join us.
Angie Carter
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. I am writing in support for all who seek recovery from addiction and all who have been affected by someone’s addiction. I have 26 years of sobriety. I say that to let people know that long term recovery is possible. I, also, come from a background of alcoholic and drug dependant parents. Some would say I was destined to become addicted. I would say that I was genetically predisposed to become an alcoholic. My parents did not keep alcohol in our home until I was in college. Back then it was strange to see beer in the refrigerator. My father became dependant and then addicted in a very short amount of time. After an intervention, he stopped drinking in 1970 and stayed sober until his passing in 1996. My mother was given diet pills like so many in past generations. No one knew about the addictive factor. Soon she needed help in sleeping and the vicious cycle began. She never could admit that she had a problem because she was taking medicines prescribed by her doctor. So, with that background, I left home in 1970 determined that that would never happen to me. Eleven years later I had to face the fact that it had happened and I needed to do something, anything to find help.
The Missouri Recovery Network has a poster with the following slogan, “By our silence we let others define us.” It goes on the read, “How will anyone know about recovery from addiction if we don’t tell them?” That has had a profound affect on me this past year. I haven’t always openly shared my recovery due to the stigma of being called a drunk. At the time I got sober, I was teaching middle school age students about the consequences of drinking. Yet I could not stop on my own. When I finally reached out for help, it was there in many forms. For those who have a problem, there are solutions. For those who have been affected by someone else’s drinking, there are solutions. The News Tribune publishes 12 step recovery meetings every week. There are trained counselors and treatment centers available. Employers don’t have to let employees get to the point of being ineffective in their jobs. How many more lives will be ruined by someone who is driving impaired?
There is hope. There is help.
Jacki Johnson
Jefferson City
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