One of the big issues facing people in recovery is reintegrating into society.
Nic Cochran is the director of Youth Services System, an organization that helps people in recovery reintegrate into society after incarceration or treatment at a rehab facility.
“We exclusively work with people who have a substance use disorder,” Cochran said. “But yes, recovery is a broad term because we also have to talk about reentry, the impacts of incarceration on the people with SUD (substance use disorder) is massive, we see so many people incarcerated.”
In a partnership with recovery homes and Uplift West Virginia, Youth Services System displayed a memorial to the people in the state lost to overdose.
“So we’re inviting people to write the names of anyone lost to overdose on the bricks, or to light a candle if they don’t feel comfortable writing the name,” Cochran said. “But the candles are also representing somebody who we wish was in recovery, or maybe somebody who used to be in recovery, or, or even people who are still in recovery, and we just want to celebrate that.”
Cochran said a big part of Recovery Day is to be a visible example for lawmakers to break down stigma.
“Substance use disorder is criminalized so heavily,” Cochran said. “We really need additional support in order to recover, in order to have treatment and to be rehabilitated so that we can become contributing members of society. So if I had anything to say to legislators, that’s what it would be, you know, we’re people, please treat us like people. And let’s get over the stigma.”
The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute was also featured at Recovery Day. Their receptionist, Rhiannon Wiseman, said she was there to educate the public and lawmakers about the One Box.
“The One Box is an opioid overdose response kit. You open it up, it’ll walk you through an overdose step by step,” Wiseman said. “Now whether you, a lot of people, can’t respond to an overdose or any traumatic circumstances – they kind of freak out. There’s no guesswork. It walks you right through it.”
Wiseman said it is important to have harm reduction resources like One Box available everywhere.
“Opioid overdose can happen absolutely anywhere in homes, businesses, schools, libraries, doctor’s office, it doesn’t matter,” Wiseman said. “They happen everywhere now.”
Wiseman added that Naloxone, or Narcan, is safe for everyone and encouraged others to be trained in administering the opioid overdose reversal drug.