BRATTLEBORO — After alcohol and drugs ruined their lives or nearly did, community members shared with a live audience how their experiences led to recovery at “A Beautiful Journey” held Wednesday at Latchis Theatre and streamed online.
Jed Popp, who founded the event in 2019, said the storytelling series is meant to showcase people affected by substance use disorder and the hope that inspired them to seek recovery. On behalf of the Turning Point of Windham County and “A Beautiful Journey” Committee, he thanked attendees and viewers at home for their involvement in “creating dignity and respect for folks who live with substance misuse, for folks who are actively using, for folks who are in recovery.”
Donnalie Corey described growing up in a family using drugs, starting to use substances at the age of 14, and seeking recovery at the age of 34 after drinking at the Polar Plunge event at the Marina in Brattleboro despite telling a friend that wouldn’t happen. Corey went to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital the next day, where a crisis worker helped find a bed at a rehab facility.
“I lost everybody. I had one friend stay my friend,” Corey said. “I wasn’t fun anymore.”
Corey immediately began going to Alcoholics Anonymous, where hope was found by listening to stories of people who had sobriety. That inspired Corey to want to “do better things.”
Seven years into recovery, Corey discovered physical fitness.
“That is where my heart is and that is actually the story I like to convey to people who are using or even to people in recovery,” Corey said. “I just found a way to feel so many things that I needed to feel that alcohol or drugs gave, that actually exercise does the same thing, and you’re not altered or crazy. It helps you become sane.”
The best part of recovery, Corey said, “is making connections with people and actually feeling things.”
JR Layne, who shared his story at the last event, said the most meaningful part of being a recovery coach is helping others suffering from substance use disorder try to live a purposeful life.
“My recovery coach says drinking is a full time job,” said Matt, who did not share a last name, calling drinking “that bug bite telling me what to do every day.”
Matt suggested talking about substance use openly and without blame.
“It’s not just someone behaving badly,” Matt said. “It’s neurological.”
Bonnie Garrapy recalled growing cannabis with her husband as a job before trying cocaine. The habit eventually cost the family most of the money they thought they would earn from the work.
A friend later asked Garrapy to drive back and forth from Vermont to Brooklyn with cocaine. After being arrested, Garrapy found a job as a cook but started “doctor shopping” to get opioids.
Court required visits to a drug counselor, who had a list of all the doctors and pharmacies frequented by Garrapy during probation. Choosing treatment over jail, Garrapy described falling to the floor in tears at the facility when asked to present a life story.
Afterwards, Garrapy started going to AA meetings and left behind family members in order to stay clean. After six years in recovery, Garrapy relapsed on opioids after a surgery and later became homeless in Brattleboro, unhappy with the way life was going.
Now, Garrapy has six years back in recovery.
“My life is amazingly wonderful,” Garrapy said. “I don’t have to go searching for painkillers anymore.”
Abby Bray talked about the fear that led to addiction, and how drugs and alcohol helped deal with “the shame of being human” but only led to more shame.
At 25, Bray began the recovery process. Now, Bray is a recovery coach and attending graduate school.
“My parting wish is that we practice just a little bit more self compassion because this stuff is hard,” Bray said.
The event can be viewed at turningpointwc.org/abj.
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