Monday night I attended my second “Wake-Up Austin” meeting at the Austin High School. Emotional testimony was given by young people who are in the process of recovery and by mothers who have lost their sons due to addiction. The theme of the evening was that we need to talk about addiction throughout our community to help those who are recovering and their families, also to help those who are at risk for developing an addiction.

Another theme that has been prevalent in these meetings is to make people aware that prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Oxycontin have a direct link to heroin use. For some people, using those medications for pain, can lead people to addiction.

One of the things I was looking for from these meetings were resources. I have family and friends that have struggled with drugs and alcohol abuse and I want to be able to help them.

Some resources that are new to me are: Circle of Hope, APAC, and Recovery is Happening.

Circle of Hope meets on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 in the Fireside room of Our Saviors Lutheran Church on 1600 West Oakland Ave in Austin. This group is a family support group for loved ones with a drug or alcohol addiction. I have heard many good things about this group in helping families navigate the difficult illness of addiction.

APAC is the Austin Positive Action Coalition. Our community has been selected to receive a 5 Year Planning and Implementation Grant funded by the State of Minnesota. A coalition of caring community members dedicated to preventing underage drinking in Austin in currently being created. This is an opportunity for our community to reach out and work together to improve the lives of Austin’s young people. APAC has 7 a.m. meetings on the last Wednesday of each month at the Austin High School conference room. I am very excited about this coalition as it gives all of us in the community an opportunity to give of our time, talents and resources to promote a healthier lifestyle in the Austin area. Bill Spitzer is the coordinator of APAC. He would welcome the community’s support in this endeavor — contact him with what kind of commitment you would like to have and become part of a positive Austin area movement. 507-460-1800 ext. 0361 bill.spitzer@austin.k12.mn.us.

Recovery is Happening is a recovery community organization. It is an independent, nonprofit organization led by representatives of local communities of recovery. They organize recovery-focused policy advocacy activities, carry out recovery focused community education and outreach programs and provide peer based recovery support services. They have

Telephone Recovery Support where volunteers reach out over the phone to individuals seeking recovery in order to connect them to the resources they need to achieve and maintain recovery. Call 507-218-4773 or visit the website: www.rih.me.

In closing, I would like to thank the Jordon Jensen family for bringing information about the drug culture to the table. I hope to see more of the Austin community at future community forums.
Aleta Myers,

Austin