Kentucky RecoveryFest Helps Fight Stigma

More than 100 people gathered in downtown Lexington, KY, for the city's RecoveryFest, an event to help launch National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Sept. 5.

Several of the participants, including a prominent television news anchor and a graduate student, told their personal stories in the hope of reducing society's discrimination against addicted individuals and encouraging those who currently misuse alcohol and other drugs to reach out for help.

Former WLEX-TV news anchor Mike Barry, who by age 35 had achieved great professional success, said alcohol ruined his career. "By age 45, I gave up all those jobs, gave up my house, gave up my family and children, was one step away from living on the streets and did finally find myself living in a homeless shelter in Louisville. Alcohol had become my god," he said. "If I admitted my problem I was likely to lose my job, and if I didn't do something about my alcoholism I was likely to lose my job. I had every intention of cleaning up my act, but couldn't get the help for fear of exposing myself."

Barry, who is chairman of Kentucky's People Advocating Recovery, added, "If I had a couple of hours, I could start listing the problems of discrimination faced by those who are in recovery."

During his speech at RecoveryFest, Barry urged people to write letters to newspapers and their elected officials to let them know, "Real people really do recover."

"In recovery we know that alone we die, together we live," Barry said.

Editor's Note: Mike Barry is a member of the Louisville Demand Treatment! Leadership Team.

Source: www.jointogether.org