Jena Johnson shares her experience, strength, and hope. It was a story of tears and laughter at some moments as well.
Story by Anne Morsette
Photos courtesy of The Door Resource and Recovery Lodge
Recovery resources have had to make special accommodations to serve those in addiction during and after the pandemic. Applications such as zoom have made it easier to reach out to more people locally and all over the world, however it isn’t quite the same as a face-to-face interaction. With vaccines lowering the numbers of infections of COVID-19, many agencies have resumed to somewhat normal operations.
The Door Resource and Recovery Lodge in New Town opened up months ago, however, they have not yet hosted an in-person event to promote and maintain recovery and fellowship in the community. “A Journey through Recovery” took place on Friday June 25th at The Door. The event was open to the public and featured guest speakers who came and shared their experience, strength, and hope. By sharing their stories, not only does it help the person who is expressing their life’s trails and tribulations, it also helps those listening by showing them how a person in their community has overcome their struggles and maintains a healthy, sober lifestyle today.
There is a common misconception that one needs to leave their hometown or relocate to have any chance at having a better life. For some, this may help however that is not always the case. Many people who work or frequent The Door are living testimony that you
Family and friends came and showed support for those in recovery at the Door’s “A Journey Through Recovery”
Family and friends came and showed support for those in recovery at the Door’s “A Journey Through Recovery”
do not need to move far away, or be in prison to get back on the right track in life. Everyone’s story is different, one thing for certain is that the help is here at home if one seeks it.
One man talked of growing up on the reservation here and how far recovery has come since he was a young man. “There used to be one meeting, once a week, with a bunch of old timers here in New Town. Now there’s meetings every day and there’s more younger people in the rooms [of recovery] than ever before.”, commented Bruce Benson who shared his story with listeners. His son also came and showed support for his father by attending the event and listening to his story.
The Door plans to host more recovery events so that they may be able to reach more people in the hopes that they may to find recovery. On July 7th, 2021, The Door will be hosting a guest panel of speakers in conjunction with KMHA radio. The event will be broadcasted live on KMHA 91.3 FM and kmharadio.org The Door is located at 359 Main Street in New Town, next door to the post office. They are open Monday through Friday from 9AM-5PM.