My name is Jarrett, and I am a grateful recovered alcoholic and drug addict. I entered detox at Linden Oaks hospital in Naperville on October 10th , 2018, a little over three years ago. I had been battling heroin addiction and everything that comes with that. I had co-occurring mental health disorders. Living on the streets
, I had no housing. I was spiritually broken. Like so many others in DuPage, I entered treatment primarily for substance use disorder, but my problems didn’t end with drugs and alcohol. Recovery starts with treatment, but it is a continuum. There are a wide array of problems we face, and we cannot face it alone, or without access to the amazing services and supports that are available in DuPage County.
That’s why I jumped at the chance to take part in the creation of the DuPage County ROSC. We are building a true comprehensive system of care, consisting of dozens of different organizations spearheaded by a ROSC Council made up of Person’s With Lived Experience—those in recovery, their family, friends, allies, etc. That aspect was incredibly important to me. If a new program is created to help people in recovery, it’s crucial that those same people have a say in the direction. DuPage ROSC will be about connections: connecting folks with resources, bringing organizations together in collaboration, and uniting Persons with Lived Experience with the goal of creating a strong culture of recovery in DuPage County.
I wasn’t able to recover alone. I needed the access to resources that helped me develop my own continuum of care. I needed the strength and support of those around me who were also recovering. I needed to see that recovery isn’t “one-size-fits-all”, and that there are several pathways to recovery, all of them valid. These are some of the important principals of the DuPage ROSC. We have the opportunity to build a complete system of recovery headed by people in recovery.