The Monadnock Rotary Club invites the community to learn more about the recovery, treatment, and prevention of substance use disorders this Sunday through a Community Walk for Recovery, and an information session at the Harrisville Granite Mill community room. The event is also a fundraiser for regional agencies engaged in front-line support for recovery and prevention.
“What happens after you decide not to use,” organizer Harry Wolhandler said, of the event’s recovery focus. “How do you become a contributor instead of a problem?”
Wolhandler said the focus of the event is to change the narrative about recovery from addiction, and demonstrate what the community can do “to stop substance use disorders from stealing peoples’ lives.”
One of the first steps, he said, is to use the term “substance use disorder” rather than “addiction” or “substance abuse,” because it mitigates the harmful consequences of stigma for an individual seeking help. He said that labeling an individual as having a “disorder” makes them likelier to receive more treatment, more time with doctors, and overall better ultimate outcomes, as compared to being labeled as an “abuser,” which increases their likelihood of being punished.
He said the divisive nature of “war on drugs”-style campaigns prevents people with substance use problems from belonging in the community at-large, when that’s one of the most important parts of an individual’s recovery.
“The community has a problem, it’s not a problem outside the community. We can’t just push it away. We can make a lot more progress if we deal with it head-on.”
Wollhandler believes communities should celebrate when people decide to begin to recover, rather than stigmatizing them for their previous actions. He referenced efforts made in New Hampshire’s Doorway program to provide a warmer and more personal atmosphere in order to encourage and retain those seeking recovery.
Wollhandler is a retired market researcher, and said he worked on a number of substance abuse prevention campaigns – ones he said fit into the “war on drugs” module. His interest in recovery-focused discussions came from a Rotary magazine article he read in May, which he said was his first encounter with information on positive community solutions to the substance use disorder epidemic. He said that when he brought up the issue with the Rotary Club, half the people in the room indicated they or someone they knew had been impacted personally by substance use disorder.
“It’s not a straight line,” Wollhandler said of the recovery process. “There are discouraging stories.” He said that despite that, “We have to continue to help the people who want out, see that they have a way out… These people are rebuilding their lives from shreds,” in some cases, he said.
Wolhandler characterizes “recovery” as a person regaining the ability to make decisions in their own best interest.
“As Mary Drew of Reality Check said, ‘Recovery is having a job. Recovery is having a place to live and a community to belong to’,” he said. Wolhandler cites recovery as the overlooked ingredient in the chain of prevention, treatment, and recovery, since most existing agencies’ primary missions are for treatment or prevention, and frequently lack the funds to meet the region’s needs.
He said the event is for any person who would like to know how whole communities can contribute to fighting the crisis, beyond the typical roles of law enforcement, the emergency room and social services.
He said that addiction is a public health problem that requires treatment and support, not a criminal justice issue. Wollhandler said he found many supporters of the recovery and public health approach to the problem in the region’s law enforcement. Many see the problems with the current system, he said. “All these people have enormous sympathy for the user community and their issues.”
There will be guest speakers and a panel discussion at the Granite Mill community room from 2:30 to 3:30. Panelists include Rudy Fedrizzi of Cheshire Medical Center, Polly Morris of Harbor Homes, plus a speaker in short-term recovery and another in long-term recovery from addiction.
The region’s leading agencies will be on hand at the Granite Mill to answer questions from the public about their services: Reality Check, Keene Serenity Center, The Doorway (Cheshire Medical Center), Monadnock Voices for Prevention, NH Works, Monadnock Family Services (Keene), MAPS Counseling Services (Keene), and Phoenix House.
The three mile walk kicks off at The Dublin School at 1 p.m. and ends at the Harrisville Granite Mill’s community room.
Exhibits at the Granite Mill will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. There is a $10 suggested donation, and participants can sign up at MonadnockRotary.org. For more information, contact MRC president Pegg Monahan (Pegg@Accelara.com, 603-852-8166), or Event Chair Harry Wolhandler (Harry@Accelara.com, 603-852-8166).