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Finding Hope: Panel tackles stigma of addiction

JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Aaron Davis, right, explains his excitement of regaining his family’s trust after recovering from addiction to David Zide, left, and Abby Roach, center.

Leaving Marietta College’s McDonough Auditorium with hope, more than 140 local residents went home Thursday night ready to break the silence and stigma surrounding addiction.

“It’s like R.J. was telling my story of the people I hurt and the rock bottom it took for me to get sober,” said Marietta native Abby Roach, 22, of Mineral Wells. “Getting to hear him speak of the hope in recovery and getting to hear my mom speak about what I put her through, what my sister is putting her through, this is what opens up conversation and ends the shame of addiction.”

Roach’s mother, Marcia, 56, of Marietta, was one of seven panelists telling their stories surrounding addiction Thursday. Ginger O’Connor, a speech-language pathologist in Marietta, also sat on the panel alongside R.J. Vied, a recovering addict, Mary Schifano, the mother of a recovering addict, Columbus native David Sigal, a recovering addict, and Rodney Lavoie, who’s older sister died from drug overdose.

The night was organized by Bill Bauer, a professor of education at the college, who reached out to Marietta native David Zide, his lifelong friend and the founding partner of Reliance Treatment Centers located in Florida, to organize not only the panel but also Vied’s visit to six high schools in the area this week.

“The facts need to be out there, people need to not be ashamed to talk about how this is killing our kids,” said Bauer. “We have to step up and share what addiction looks like and that there’s hope for recovery.”

“I went through all of the depression, the isolation and the shame, feeling like I had failed my children,” said Marcia Roach, 56, of Marietta. “To now have a relationship with my daughter, to be proud of how far she has come and to trust her again is everything to me.”

Trust with family and making a difference in the lives of others after their lives were turned upside down by addiction is the reason Abby and her boyfriend Aaron Davis, 28, of Mineral Wells, and their friend Corey Chambers, 36, of Parkersburg, were so excited to see the auditorium filled Thursday.

“I was in tears,” said Chambers. “Knowing that people are starting to speak out about this and what it’s like to finally make it through to recovery, that’s what starts the change in an addict’s life. That’s what changed my life.”

“The more we talk about this the more people understand that funding is needed, that treatment and recover houses are needed and that jail isn’t the answer,” said Abby.

Zide said he was inspired by the three friends and challenged them to continue sharing their stories.

“It’s your personal hell and how you climbed out of that which will impact someone’s life,” he said. “That’s why I do what I do with my facility. I’ve been down that road of addiction, I know where they’re coming from when they get sent to me, and I try to help them rebuild their lives and find something to live for again.”

O’Connor used her time on the panel to share statistics of children born addicted to the drugs and medications their mothers were using while pregnant.

“The numbers are staggering,” she said. “Whatever the mother is taking, the baby is swimming in and becoming addicted. It’s the perfect storm to cause a lot of difficulties. Babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t stop crying because their nervous systems are damaged and they are born addicted.”

Dawn Spurr, 46, of Churchtown, and co-founder of the Mid-Ohio Valley Learning About Addiction group, said she left the night encouraged by what she called the “dawn of an open dialogue.”

“We need to promote awareness like this if we are ever going to have hope for local treatment centers,” she said. “It’s through opening that conversation that we can marshal people to go after funding and attack this problem head on.”

Julie McCauley, 54, of Marietta, agreed, saying she hoped the night was the dawn of community acceptance and a change of heart.

“If people were standing up applauding recovering addicts who they don’t even know tonight, they can stand up and support those here at home who want to recover,” she said.

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