“Trauma was my gateway drug,” says Theresa Lafeve, reflecting on her difficult, but inspiring,journey to recovery. At a young age, Theresa found herself turning to recreational substance use to cope withchildhood trauma — a decision that would lead her to an almost eight-year battle with asubstance use disorder. But today,[Read More…]
Recovery
Grieving An Overdose: ‘There’s Been Nothing as Devastating as Losing a Son’
Parents of Addicted Love Ones (PAL) is providing Kentucky parents with much needed support, healing and camaraderie. Karen Butcher, who founded the first Parents of Addicted Love Ones group in the state, recently sat down with Kayla Moody of Spectrum News to share her family’s story. As Karen tried to[Read More…]
‘A saved life saved a life’: Men in recovery save man overdosing in Lawrence County
Two men in recovery at Addiction Recovery Care are using their experiences to help others find long-term recovery from substance use disorder. And those experiences also led them to be on the helping side of an overdose. Click here to read how the two men saved a life by knowing[Read More…]
WKYT Investigates: Drinking in the pandemic
One year into the pandemic, researchers at the University of Kentucky say they’re seeing a rise in alcohol use and stress among caregivers, according to WKYT’s Kristen Kennedy. And, because women often serve as the primary caregivers in their households, the sex gap between men and women struggling with alcohol[Read More…]
Derby week can be triggering for people recovering from addiction
While the Kentucky Derby is known for the fun and excitement it brings to our communities, the festivities surrounding this annual event can be quite triggering for people who have struggled with substance use disorders. Keith Farah, the transitional care manager at The Healing Place in Louisville, spoke with Spectrum[Read More…]
Kentucky among top states where overdose deaths have spiked during COVID-19 pandemic
Deborah Yetter at the Courier-Journal reports that drug overdoses in Kentucky rose by 50 percent between September 2019 and September 2020. During the same timeframe, drug overdose deaths increased nationwide by nearly 30 percent. Treatment providers and recovery advocates point to job loss and pandemic-related stress and anxieties. According to[Read More…]
Louisville addiction recovery center advocating for local restaurants that employ, support alumni
After restaurants were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Healing Place, a non-profit addiction recovery center, is encouraging its alumni and supporters to eat out at local restaurants to boost their profits. “A lot of the other restaurants participating help support our alumni and employ our alumni and give[Read More…]
Gov. Beshear Signs Recovery-related Bills into Law
With another legislative session behind us, below is a recap of the criminal justice and recovery-related reforms that passed. All bills listed here have been signed into law by Governor Beshear. For more information on specific bills, please visit the Kentucky LRC website. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, removes prior[Read More…]
Ray Daniels: New legislation will help clean up Kentucky’s outdated criminal justice laws
For many years, criminal justice advocates have been pleading with the General Assembly to take stock of outdated laws and make sure they meet the needs of Kentuckians today. Many of these conversations have rightfully focused on how the criminal justice system approaches individuals in the strongholds of addiction. From[Read More…]
Legislation to Help More Kentuckians Reach Long-term Recovery Should Be Signed Into Law
By Amanda Newton If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the last 12 months, it’s that good things can happen when people work together. The COVID-19 era has brought many challenges, but from the earliest days of the pandemic, we’ve seen shining examples of individuals and communities setting aside their[Read More…]