Eddie Greyfox Burgess delivers curbside wellness Nothing draws a crowd like a turquoise 1965 Ford Fairlane shining in the sun—and that’s exactly what Eddie Greyfox Burgess was looking for in a “wellness mobile.” “It was contemplating its life mission and its personal...
At the intersection of a pandemic and an epidemic, telemedicine revolutionizes addiction treatment. When Dr. Ted Logan of Maine Behavioral Healthcare transitioned his substance use disorder practice to mostly telemedicine, COVID-19 was still at least three years in...
Lukas Rosov, 39, of South Portland says that the Cumberland County Adult Drug Treatment Court saved his life. “I had a long criminal record with drug-related charges, selling, consuming and getting caught with drugs,” says Rosov, who was addicted to cocaine and...
Penobscot Nation’s Healing to Wellness Court weaves cultural connections into drug court program Rhonda Decontie grew up tagging along with her father, Frank Decontie, an addiction recovery counselor, to 12-step meetings where she would recite The Serenity Prayer...
How does a girl from Lewiston get sexually trafficked? And then become a leader in the recovery movement? Tricia Grant grew up exposed to alcohol, drugs, and sexual abuse and, by the time she was 12, she was struggling with housing stability. At 14, she was pregnant....
A former convent in Lewiston is now a safe haven for a small community of women Women who have survived a trifecta of traumatic, adverse experiences—sex trafficking or exploitation, addiction, and incarceration. “We’re more than a sober house,” said Sophia House...
Courageous men learning to be in compassion Six times a week, ten men walk into Stephen Andrew’s office on Middle Street in Portland, slip off their shoes, sit in a circle and do something that takes some courage at first—they talk about their feelings. Andrew, a...
Neuroscientists know that laughter really is a great medicine. Sustained social laughter draws us together in ways that not only lighten the mood but strengthen the immune system, diminish pain and protect us from the effects of stress. Despite its name, Laughter Yoga...
Ninety-year-old Joan Giles has much to celebrate, having been part of Maine’s recovery community for 41 years. Journey’s Amy Paradysz talked with Joan at the Sarah Frye Home, an assisted living center in Auburn, about changing perceptions and how Joan, as a single...
A Saco collision repair shop makes it easier for people in recovery to move on As Jessica Truman reached one year of sobriety in November 2017, her next steps were daunting: Rent an apartment, get a car, find a job and reunite with her three children – all while...
Across the state, recovery support organizations are grounded in community With a multifaceted issue like addiction, there’s no one road to recovery. In fact, there are many. Community approaches are just as unique. The Bangor area has a community center that...
“There’s hope,” says Eric Sorensen. “I keep it simple. I tell them there’s hope.” That’s what he says when he meets someone living what his life was for decades – using narcotics, drinking, sleeping in back alleys, pulling food out of dumpsters, blacking out because...