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Recovery in the News
Ex-Addicts Celebrate Recovery
Ashley Gebb
Appeal Democrat
September 26, 2009
The grass is greener on the other side. Just ask a recovered addict.
Yuba-Sutter residents wore stickers stating their sobriety lengths like badges of honor Friday as they swapped stories about loving the clean life. The annual Recovery Happens picnic and barbecue attracted more than 400 people from all walks of life, many forms of addiction and varying lengths of sobriety, including one man who had only been clean for half a day.
"You know what? That half a day matters. You gotta start somewhere," said Lorrie Brown, of Yuba City.
After 21 years of methamphetamine addiction, she is proud to say she has been clean for 18 months and loves every day of it. Her head is no longer cloudy, she has a better sense of humor and she has a great relationship with her sons again.
"It's so much better on the other side of life," said Brown, 40. "It's easy, but you have to put in time."
The event, held at Blackburn-Talley Sports Complex, has multiple sponsors, including Sutter-Yuba Alcohol and Drug Services. It is held each year to celebrate sobriety and addiction recovery.
Steve Sovenski, 46, was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 20 years before finally getting clean 81⁄2 years ago.
The Yuba City resident's favorite part of Recovery Happens is seeing other people's progress.
"In the beginning, all you see is confusion in their eyes and you know that confusion," he said. "You see them a few months later and they start to shine, their skin starts to shine, they have a glow about them."
Life on methamphetamine originally made Jackie Quick, 44, happy and higher than life. But now that she has 36 months of sobriety under her belt, she knows life is better without drugs.
"I like myself today," she said. "I know I'm doing good because my children are doing good ... I'm able to face life on life's terms."
Paula Bataz, 44, was once homeless, jobless and only getting by through hustling and other illegal activities.
To free herself from methamphetamine addiction, the Yuba City resident had to give up the friends and family that kept her ingrained in that lifestyle.
It was not easy, but now they've found sobriety, too, she said. And Bataz is trying to help more people, as a sponsor and through the Recovery Happens committee.
"Once one person gets clean and sober, it just kind of blossoms," she said. "So if I can help just one person change their life, I know I can affect everyone around them and that's a good thing."
Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.
Copyright © 2009 Freedom Communications