Resources available during National Recovery Month

SALT LAKE CITY — September marks National Recovery Month, and two Utahns in long-term recovery tell their stories and describe the resources available to help addicts.

• 7 in 10 (72.2 percent or 20.9 million) adults who ever had a substance use problem considered themselves to be recovering or in recover, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Dave & Dujanovic speak with Evan Done, associate director of Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) and Tiffany Naccarato, its program manager/community empowerment coordinator about their stories.

Done said he is a person in long-term recovery. A lot is heard about the ravages of addiction and people dying from overdoes, he said, but not as much is told about people getting well and recovering from their addictions.

Addicted to alcohol and drugs, Done said at his lowest point he was homeless and “absolutely destitute.” With the help of friends, he was able to get into treatment, and that’s when he started into recovery.

Naccarato said addiction does not discriminate. She said she was a stay-at-home mom with young kids and still fell into addiction. Hooked on opiates and methamphetamine, she said she was homeless on the streets of Salt Lake City for six years.

How long does it take for recovery to be a success?

Because recovery is chronic, Done said treatment and recovery may take one attempt or it may take many.

Naccarato said a family recovers together. If a loved one fails in their first attempt to beat his or her addiction, it’s important for family members remain hopeful, she said.

Her family has hopeless about her, she said. But when she was ready to beat her addiction, they jumped right in with their support.

At the end of six years on the streets, Naccarato said she was ready to die. She was running from the law, had totaled another car, her boyfriend had been sentenced to prison and she was being violated on the streets by sexual predators. She said she was lonely. And she didn’t have the money to pay her phone bill to call her kids.

Naccarato said she had asked for help before, but it wasn’t until then, she was finally ready to accept the love she couldn’t give herself. 

Dave Noriega asked what role has fentanyl played in drug use and addiction?

Done said it has made the consequences of addictions deadlier. 

Nearly 110,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2022, according to early estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Done said to signify the importance of support in National Recovery Month, Utah is hosting events during the month.  Recovery Day is Sept. 9 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Jordan Park (900 West 1060 South) in Salt Lake City. 

 

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.