Recovery Fair highlights struggles of many
Published 1:04 am Friday, September 28, 2018
- LBWCC nursing students Kathryn Braden, left, and Laikyn Andrews, right, presented nutrition information. They included a display of food. The “meal” on the left - cereal and milk - has the same calories as the meal on the right, which includes an eg, turkey bacon, fruit, toast and orange juice. Courtesy photo
Covington County Drug Court coordinator Sabrina Cobb knows too well the need for special events like the Prevention and Recovery Resources Fair held yesterday. The event was coordinated by the South Central Alabama Mental Health Center and the Children’s Policy Council, and held at Central Church of Christ.
Cobb currently works with 155 clients in drug court, and an additional 13 in veterans court.
“Events like this bring their struggle to the national front for at least a month,” she said.
Addiction does not discriminate, she said.
“We have clients who come from really, really good homes,” she said. “And some from not good homes. We have some that are well-education, and some that are not well-educated.”
More and more, opioid use – or misuse – is landing people in court, and law enforcement officers are seeing some heroin, she said.
And those trying to overcome their addictions and working through drug court need support from employers, Cobb said.
“We need employers to work with us,” she said. “If our clients can’t find jobs, they can’t overcome their problems and will end up right where they started.”
Cobb was among the vendors who provided information about services ranging from transportation to HIV testing to health and nutrition at the festival moved indoors yesterday by the rain. LBW nursing students offered weigh-ins with height and weight management to determine body mass index, as well as nutrition information.