Our Stories
Share the power of long-term recovery. If you are in recovery, a family member, friend or ally of someone in recovery, we want to hear your recovery story!
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Voice of the Recovery Community Award
Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) is the recipient of The Joel Hernandez Voice of the Recovery Community Award!
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Our Stories
Walter Ginter
Westport, CT
My name is Walter Ginter. I am 54 years old and married. I work in New York City, where my wife and I own and operate a small search firm. I own a house in Westport, CT. I participate in civic activities, have a subscription to the Westport Country Playhouse, and am a registered Republican. Most days, along with hundreds of other Westport residents, I commute on Metro North to Grand Central Station here in NYC.
I am indistinguishable from the other commuters and completely typical in every way but one. Each day I take medication for a chronic medical condition. Taking a maintenance medication is hardly atypical, I am sure that many of my fellow commuters take maintenance medications for blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and countless other medical conditions. The difference is that I take a medication to treat my opiate dependence.
I first became dependent on opiates in 1971, when I was in the service. I spent the next 20 years in and out of various treatment programs. I didn’t understand that my opiate use had caused metabolic changes in my brain. I felt that I couldn’t remain opiate-free because I was weak. Eventually, I learned that taking a medication to restore normal brain function wasn’t really different than taking a medication for any other chronic medical condition. Thousands of people have achieved abstinence and sobriety with the assistance of medication-assisted treatments but very few of them consider themselves as recovering persons because they have never been allowed to. It is my goal to educate those patients so they too can experience what it is like to be a recovering person.
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