Hope for recovery
Cheryl Warner had repeated the “vicious cycle” of drug addiction for years, in which she would become sober for a while before falling back into substance abuse. Now, at age 31, she has a life she never thought possible.
Warner had struggled with drug addiction throughout her life, and has been in recovery for about a year. Originally from Virginia, Warner said moving to Robin’s Home, a women veteran housing shelter in Butler, saved her life.
“It wasn’t until a friend of mine said Butler has a recovery community that can change your life, so I think of Butler as a place that has saved my life,” Warner said. “For me what worked was finding a place where I could get a fresh start, where I didn’t have anybody to call (for drugs) and I didn’t know which house to go to.”
Warner was just one of four people who shared their stories of recovery from addiction at a speaking event Thursday evening, Sept. 15, at the Butler Art Center.
Ken Clowes, Butler County Community College’s community initiatives center assistant, organizes “Hope is Dope” nights regularly to gather people struggling with addiction together to get to know one another and other people who have been in their shoes.
Clowes said to the crowd of more than 50 people in attendance that he hoped to show people that recovery is not something that happens overnight, and everyone has their own journey on their way to it.
“Recovery is a process,” Clowes said. “We’re all in this together.”
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