Jeff McPeek, right center, formerly of White County, will share his story of addiction and recovery in a talk during dinner Tuesday, March 31, 5:30-8:00 P.M. at White County Farm Bureau, 304 E Robinson St # B, in Carmi. Jeff will discuss the support he needed and found through the White County Drug Court in order to graduate. He will also discuss areas in which the local community could build on to be more supportive of recovery from addictions. McPeek is pictured with States Attorney Denton Aud and Assistant States Attorney Chris Neal.
Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field, will also speak on his experience with intergenerational patterns of addiction in families including how to address intergenerational trauma in families. Mark has had a 30 year career as a university educator and substance use disorder counselor, as well as being an intriguing and entertaining story teller.
Sanders will address topics such as six risk factors for intergenerational patterns of addiction in families; the roles of persons in recovery and families in breaking intergenerational patterns; risk and protective factors for children with parents with substance use disorders; how to address dark family secrets which can foster addiction; how to address intergenerational trauma in families.
To RSVP for this event, please call the Recovery Resource Center 618-294-8322, or email [email protected]. Dinner will be provided by New Beginning Church of God and First Christian Church.
The event is presented by the Southeastern Illinois Substance Use, Prevention, Recovery and Treatment Council (SI SUPRT). The Council holds two monthly public meetings to discuss recovery related topics. The first Wednesday of each month, a meeting is held at Egyptian Health Department in Eldorado from 12-1:30. Dinner is provided. The White County community council meets on a Thursday of each month at 1:00 at Egyptian Health Department in Carmi. The next White County meeting will be March 26. Work groups are forming or in place to carry out the Council’s strategic plan. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, please call Cain at 618-294-8322.
SI SUPRT’s work comes from a charge from the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS SUPR) to build recovery oriented systems of care in communities around the state. “A recovery oriented system of care is about transforming communities to include people in recovery who will stand up and say, ‘Recovery is possible, and I am doing it!’ It’s not to brag, but rather to inspire and to share ideas for support and inspiration, and reduce stigma of the disease of addiction. Also, to provide hope for others, to be voices for public policy change and to help us look at what things to consider to bring forward as we try to make people in recovery and their stories visible and viable in the southeastern Illinois area,” said Teri Cain, SI SUPRT Coordinator.
An important part of the work of the ROSC Council is to break down the stigma that surrounds addiction and substance use disorder. “More and more research is indicating addiction is a brain disease. It is truly a neurological disorder, a reaction to chemical ingestion that affects people differently. Yet there is hope because various methods of treatment make recovery possible. By educating people about addiction as a disease that can be treated instead of being a series of bad choices or failure to make good choices, we hope to help people realize that asking for help, for treatment, is the first step toward a happier and healthier future,” Cain said.
This project is supported in part by IDHS SUPR, as part of the Social Services Block Grant award from the Federal Administration for Children and Families (G-1801ILSOSR
