Our Stories
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Our Stories
Laurie Kamansky
Greenfield, MA
Being a parent of a teenager is hard enough, so I am extra grateful during these formative years to also be a parent who has found recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. My son is lucky, although he doesn t know it yet. He s thirteen, almost fourteen and pushing the behavioral limits that all adolescents do, but he hasn t ventured down the same path that I did at his age with alcohol and drugs. I guess I consider us fortunate, but I also know that the messages he has been brought up with regarding alcohol and drugs probably has had a greater impact on his decisions than any sort of chance. He has never had to see me under the influence of alcohol or drugs, nor has he had to endure the pain of active drug addiction in his home or in his presence. He has watched me go through life, good times and bad, without the constant instability and destruction that addiction can bring to a child s life. He receives a very clear no-use message from me, and from those I share my life with. He grew up surrounded by
f people in your neighborhood, and thousands across the country that once were addicted, and now live full, diverse and vibrant lives because they have found recovery. Healing from addiction can come in many forms, and can be found walking many paths. Some find AA or NA, some go to church and find their recovery through faith, some attend SMART recovery, or go to counseling. The important thing to know is that it is possible, it is all around you, and you too can become a person in recovery. You are not alone. If you want to learn more about ways in which recovery is possible, or you want to join a community of people in recovery, become a member of FAVOR, or look in your area for a recovery community support program like ours in Franklin County called the RECOVER Project. You don t have to go it alone, or wonder what life will be like without alcohol and drugs any more. Recovery is real. Recovery can happen.
Why do we speak openly about our recovery from addictions here at the RECOVER Project? This question is one that I am constantly asked by members of the community, whether they themselves are in recovery or not. Why would we do such a thing? Why would we want people to know such personal business? The answer is simple really, yet often misunderstood. We speak openly about our own recovery; the beauty that such recovery brings to our lives, to offer hope to others, and to inform the broader society that recovery is possible (more often than one realizes!). We are plagued by stories of death misery and the damage that addiction plays in our towns and neighborhoods on a daily basis. The headlines are filled with overdoses, drunk driving arrests, violent behaviors, and people dying due to alcohol and drug addiction. We see it with our eyes on the street corners, in the bar rooms, in our own homes, and on our TV. The greater society hears the constant message that addicts and alcoholics are the dregs of society, that they are morally flawed in some way, and we are referred to as those people. Forgetting, or perhaps not even realizing that those people could be and often are a loved one, a daughter, son, mother, father, spouse or partner. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is not something that we grow up aspiring to achieve. It is a heart wrenching sou
There was a time where I didn t want to walk down the street, or go to the corner store out of guilt and shame over my active addiction. I wanted to melt into the environment, to go unnoticed, and I prayed to die. This was before I found recovery. Since I got sober, I haven t felt such deep sadness and despair, not once have I recoiled back to that level of hurt since recovery entered my life. It is for this reason that me and people like me are vocal --to let others know that there is a different way, a road to wellness that can and does last a lifetime. The RECOVER Project (RCSP funded by SAMHSA) in western Massachusetts not only aims to build upon the strengths of people in recovery and to provide support, but it also is directed towards educating the greater community with the fact that addiction is a community affliction, and even more; a societal issue. An issue, however, that we believe can be healed, but it calls for action. I think William White, author of Slaying the Dragon: The history of Addiction and Recovery in America says it best: The recovery community today is made up of diverse individuals and groups who, while differing in their views on how to best initiate and sustain sobriety, speak with a united voice about the hope for permanent recovery from addiction , Many of us have carried a message of hope on a one to one basis; this new recovery movement calls upon us to carry that message of hope to whole communities and the whole culture. We will shape the future of recovery in America with a detached silence or with a passionate voice. It is time we stepped forward to shape this history with our stories, our time, and our talents If you wish to share your talent, your hope, your dreams, and be a part of helping those in need, those who may not be able to see their way out, join us and make a difference.
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