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Bob Rogers, right, graduated from Drug Court in August 2005. With Rogers is Judge John Darlington and Rogers' wife, Shelley.
On Saturday, recovering drug addicts and people supporting them will host a Walk for Recovery. The money raised will be used to help people stay clean and sober. The Recovery Alumni Association, the group sponsoring the walk, is seeking the community's support.
The association was formed last fall by people who have completed the two-year Adult Drug Court program through Nevada County Superior Court. That program takes people whose drug-related crimes would send them to state prison and puts them through a rigorous program of supervised rehabilitation combined with frequent court visits and other services to help participants and their families.
The president of the association, Bob Rogers, graduated from Drug Court in August 2005. After 30 years using - and sometimes dealing - methamphetamine, Rogers has been clean and sober for more than three years.
Rogers, his wife Shelley Rogers and other graduates of Adult Drug Court soon formed the Recovery Alumni Association to support each other on their path to healing.
But the challenges of recovery can seem overwhelming to the person who, for a lifetime, has solved even the simplest problems by turning to dope.
Staying active in and connected to the "recovery community" is, according to Drug Court Judge John H. Darlington, the best way to assure long-term success.
In the letter below, Bob Rogers writes about those challenges and how the Recovery Alumni Association uses the money it raises - in ways that may seem small to those who have never struggled with the demons of addiction - to help others about to falter.
The walk starts at 10 a.m. Saturday on the steps in front of the Nevada County Superior Court. Participants will walk to Pioneer Park for a rally with speakers and food. The public is invited.
For more information on the Recovery Alumni Association, see its Web site, recoveryalumni.org. To support the walk, contact Community Recovery Resources at 273-9541.
The association was formed last fall by people who have completed the two-year Adult Drug Court program through Nevada County Superior Court. That program takes people whose drug-related crimes would send them to state prison and puts them through a rigorous program of supervised rehabilitation combined with frequent court visits and other services to help participants and their families.
The president of the association, Bob Rogers, graduated from Drug Court in August 2005. After 30 years using - and sometimes dealing - methamphetamine, Rogers has been clean and sober for more than three years.
Rogers, his wife Shelley Rogers and other graduates of Adult Drug Court soon formed the Recovery Alumni Association to support each other on their path to healing.
But the challenges of recovery can seem overwhelming to the person who, for a lifetime, has solved even the simplest problems by turning to dope.
Staying active in and connected to the "recovery community" is, according to Drug Court Judge John H. Darlington, the best way to assure long-term success.
In the letter below, Bob Rogers writes about those challenges and how the Recovery Alumni Association uses the money it raises - in ways that may seem small to those who have never struggled with the demons of addiction - to help others about to falter.
The walk starts at 10 a.m. Saturday on the steps in front of the Nevada County Superior Court. Participants will walk to Pioneer Park for a rally with speakers and food. The public is invited.
For more information on the Recovery Alumni Association, see its Web site, recoveryalumni.org. To support the walk, contact Community Recovery Resources at 273-9541.
- Trina Kleist
ooo
The primary purpose of our Walk for Recovery is to show the community that recovery is and does happen in Nevada County.
We keep reading letters in the newspaper from people wondering where all of these so-called recovering addicts are. It is more often than not a long, hard journey dealing with all of the legal, financial and personal baggage that has accumulated along the way before becoming a responsible and productive member of society.
There is such a stigma attached to being a "drug addict." Is it any wonder that once a person starts recovering from the disease of addiction, he might not want to call attention to himself any longer?
Some recovering addicts have become business owners or college students; others have entered the work force and are buying homes and raising families. Our walk will show that.
Our Walk for Recovery is also a fundraiser.
I would like to say we are raising funds for a socially acceptable goal, such as building a new facility to house entire families to provide treatment to recover from this disease and education and retraining to merge back into the community as productive people. And someday we might.
The truth is, we don't have a banner goal. Our mission at this time is much smaller and simpler.
ooo
The primary purpose of our Walk for Recovery is to show the community that recovery is and does happen in Nevada County.
We keep reading letters in the newspaper from people wondering where all of these so-called recovering addicts are. It is more often than not a long, hard journey dealing with all of the legal, financial and personal baggage that has accumulated along the way before becoming a responsible and productive member of society.
There is such a stigma attached to being a "drug addict." Is it any wonder that once a person starts recovering from the disease of addiction, he might not want to call attention to himself any longer?
Some recovering addicts have become business owners or college students; others have entered the work force and are buying homes and raising families. Our walk will show that.
Our Walk for Recovery is also a fundraiser.
I would like to say we are raising funds for a socially acceptable goal, such as building a new facility to house entire families to provide treatment to recover from this disease and education and retraining to merge back into the community as productive people. And someday we might.
The truth is, we don't have a banner goal. Our mission at this time is much smaller and simpler.
Once addicts are finally ready to accept treatment, they are usually pretty much beaten and at the end of their ropes. Major crises and life failures have become normal occurrences. It is the little, mundane, everyday problems that now seem so overwhelming once sobriety is achieved that cause many to relapse back to the old way of life.
We know how to survive in that world. But living life on life's terms is a foreign concept as we start to recover.
The newly recovering addict may not have a decent set of clothes to go job hunting. The rent may be overdue or the electricity is being shut off. There may be no food in the house or the car doesn't run. Many, many little things seem so huge that they can depress someone enough to stop trying.
There are no agencies with money to handle these kinds of problems. That is where the Recovery Alumni Association comes in.
There is a process the recovering addict must go through to apply for financial aid from the Recovery Alumni Association. There must be a verifiable need, all other resources must be exhausted, and it requires the unanimous approval of our nine-member board of directors.
We never give cash directly to an applicant, only goods and services.
This is what we have been able to provide so far:
1. Paid for three months of transitional housing fees for one person.
2. Bought bus passes for people fresh out of a treatment facility.
We know how to survive in that world. But living life on life's terms is a foreign concept as we start to recover.
The newly recovering addict may not have a decent set of clothes to go job hunting. The rent may be overdue or the electricity is being shut off. There may be no food in the house or the car doesn't run. Many, many little things seem so huge that they can depress someone enough to stop trying.
There are no agencies with money to handle these kinds of problems. That is where the Recovery Alumni Association comes in.
There is a process the recovering addict must go through to apply for financial aid from the Recovery Alumni Association. There must be a verifiable need, all other resources must be exhausted, and it requires the unanimous approval of our nine-member board of directors.
We never give cash directly to an applicant, only goods and services.
This is what we have been able to provide so far:
1. Paid for three months of transitional housing fees for one person.
2. Bought bus passes for people fresh out of a treatment facility.
3. Provided grocery vouchers for individuals and families of people in treatment.
4. Replaced one man's ruined shoes with a new pair.
5. Reinstated car insurance for an individual to be able to drive to school.
6. Paid PG&E bills for two families.
Board members don't receive any sort of compensation, nor are they eligible to receive aid. Our financial affairs are monitored by an outside agency and everything is documented.
Addiction is a disease that affects everyone in this community in some way.
With the help and support of the community, we are able to make a difference.
Thanks for your support,
Bob Rogers
President, Recovery Alumni Association
4. Replaced one man's ruined shoes with a new pair.
5. Reinstated car insurance for an individual to be able to drive to school.
6. Paid PG&E bills for two families.
Board members don't receive any sort of compensation, nor are they eligible to receive aid. Our financial affairs are monitored by an outside agency and everything is documented.
Addiction is a disease that affects everyone in this community in some way.
With the help and support of the community, we are able to make a difference.
Thanks for your support,
Bob Rogers
President, Recovery Alumni Association
