This commentary is by Danielle Wallace of Waltham, executive director of the Turning Point Center of Addison County.
Opioid use continues to fill headlines nationally and here at home, but what about the substances we don’t read about every day?
In Addison County, alcohol and stimulant use are the most worrisome, so let’s talk about those, too.
It’s no surprise that alcohol use has been an accepted part of Vermont culture for generations — this makes the outcomes, signs and symptoms perhaps less dramatic — but the recovery journey can also be slow, long and wavering. Those working to move past their relationship with alcohol see it when they visit the gas station, the grocery store or a restaurant.
It’s all around us. and generally drinking is an accepted, normalized, even glamorized practice.
Unlike the more immediate threat of opioids, destructive to both first-time and long-term users, alcohol misuse can present itself over years or decades before physical issues or social consequences are evident.
This includes the older person who drinks quietly at home or the young person who is trying to find a place to fit in; alcohol use and misuse is all around us. The toll misuse takes on an individual and our communities may take longer to materialize, but it is happening all the time.
This is one of the reasons I feel so strongly about the peer-based recovery model used by the Turning Point Center and other similar organizations. We employ people with lived experience, people who have had to navigate early recovery and the barriers that exist and persist.
A large part of our work is removing these barriers. This starts with coaching, which means easy access anywhere in Addison County, and for anyone in need. It means offering 24-hour phone support. It means working with law enforcement, encouraging them to refer people to us so that we can reach out.
It means staying free of judgment — because we truly do understand what people are going through. We know the feeling of compulsion, of putting a drug above all else, and are therefore able to approach our work with empathy and compassion.
Who would choose a substance over their job, children or their freedom? No one. Peers help people feel like they are not alone, which is essential in a moment of need.
I don’t have the answer for how to eliminate the reliance on alcohol in Vermont, but I do know that for those who want to talk about its impact on their lives, get resources to help and turn the page on their next chapter, the Turning Point Center of Addison County is here.
Danielle Wallace, of Waltham, is executive director at the Turning Point Center of Addison County
Read the story on VTDigger here: Danielle Wallace: The slow burn of alcohol abuse may be less dramatic than other drugs, but it’s equally destructive .