Recovery is a journey that deserves to be celebrated
The Grapevine Center is one of the leading agencies in the City of Butler when it comes to helping individuals going through recovery of all kinds. Whether a person is undergoing homelessness, drug addiction or mental health problems, the center offers a haven for people to relate to one another about their recovery, or just for them to have a cup of coffee with company.
The center had its 11th annual recovery fest on Thursday, July 24, at the Grapevine Center’s office on North Elm Street, which featured yoga and meditation, gardening and nutrition, games, music, food and therapy dogs.
Just a week prior, there was a Mental Health Speaker Jam, where people spoke to an audience about the trials and tribulations in their recovery journeys, which also brought numerous recovery organizations together in Alameda Park.
Both of the events recognized that recovery is often a group effort — speakers at the Speaker Jam commented that they found help from agencies like the Center for Community Resources, Butler County Human Services and the Grapevine Center.
The recovery fest was more of a reprieve compared to the Speaker Jam. One of its organizers said it was created “to celebrate recovery — no goals, no paperwork, none of the usual stuff you deal with the other 364 days of the year. You just come here and celebrate your recovery and your wellness.”
This kind of event is important to people in recovery, who sometimes have difficulty communicating their struggles to other people, because it invites them to an environment where judgment is absent. An organizer of the Speaker Jam said that people in recovery find encouragement from hearing other people’s stories, which is not always what they find when they talk to people about their own struggles.
The Speaker Jam and the Recovery Fest are signature events in the Butler County recovery community, and two chances for people to learn more about why recovery is difficult, but possible.
— ET
