One of the biggest challenges for recovering addicts is belonging to a strong community, said an area recovery activist.
Gary Harm Reduction, a local grassroots organization, aims to make that less of a challenge.
“They need to see that the community does support and love them,” said Kristen Martin, director of Gary Harm Reduction. “They need to see services available to them that they didn’t know about. Substance abuse can be isolating.”
The organization from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday is hosting its third annual Region Recovery Riot at the Gary Aquatorium. The event aims to bring prevention resources to those who need them.
Different social service vendors will be at the event, including halfway houses and Narcan providers.
“It’s so important to have these resources,” Martin said. “Studies have shown that people who have support and supportive communities are more likely to succeed in their recovery effort.”
In addition to substance use resources, the Region Recovery Riot will feature activities including yoga, hiking and live music.
Martin is from the area, and she had the idea for the Region Recovery Riot when she moved back to Gary after going to college in southern Indiana. When she moved back, Martin said there was “no real community” for people in recovery.
Indiana’s overdose death rate is 41 per 100,000 individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lake County has the second highest overdose rate in the state, Martin said.
Martin formed Gary Harm Reduction in 2020, and the organization started passing out Narcan and providing overdose prevention services.
“But I realized we needed something bigger,” she said. “We needed something more systemic, something greater than our individual work. We had to shift consciousness at a larger level in the area, so Region Recovery Riot was a perfect opportunity to do that.”
Justine Maresca, committee member for Gary Harm Reduction, said she likes the Region Recovery Riot because it connects different resources with each other.
The event features both abstinence-based treatment centers and harm reduction treatment, which Maresca said don’t normally collaborate. Abstinence-based programs require participants to abstain from substance use, while harm reduction doesn’t require abstinence but still reduces the negative consequences.
The Region Recovery Riot also features resources as simple as free haircuts or cell phones, Maresca said.
“Everyone’s coming together with the shared goal of supporting people in recovery or that are struggling,” she added. “You’ve got all these sorts of things that struggling community members might not be able to experience normally.”
The community’s response to the Region Recovery Riot has been amazing, Maresca said, adding that she believes it’s spread the word about harm reduction.
She also thinks it’s helped break the stigma surrounding addiction, which Maresca believes is important for those seeking recovery.
“When we create an approachable, friendly community of people that are here to help, it helps people become more comfortable,” Maresca said. “Then, the people utilizing harm reduction supplies might end up going to treatment or with something that they wouldn’t have if they didn’t have access to those resources.”
More information about Region Recovery Riot is available online, regionrecoveryriot.com.
