By Ashley Hall
September 8, 2010
MEDFORD, Ore. - Southern Oregon has many organizations that offer services for people struggling with addiction, but sometimes it can be tough to connect those services with potential patrons.
Nearly two dozen organizations and businesses took part in a Recovery Fair outside the Jackson County Justice Building Wednesday, hoping to showcase all of the resources available to those seeking help.
"We have a lot of people going to court today for DUI and drug arraignments, and a lot of them have family with them, and they can stop by and get information on these different organizations," Recovering Addict Amanda Wright said.
The desire to be clean is the first step to getting help. However, the path can be unclear after that.
"A lot of people, when they're in crisis mode and they're looking for help, they don't know where to look," Recovery Fair Organizer Matthew Vorderstrasse said.
"I've been living in Oxford for three-and-a-half years. And now I'm the chairman on my second term. And I don't know where I'd be right now without Oxford," Jackson County Oxford House Chairman Robert Hansen said.
The Oxford House has 72 available rooms in Jackson County.
"There's places like us that do help out. There's people who don't want to get into their normal drug life, and they want to get clean and sober, and this is where they start," Hansen said.
Vorderstrasse says the benefits go beyond the individual, and sobriety impacts the lives of their family, friends and the community as a whole.
"(I was) recently appointed by the governor to the post-secondary Quality Education Commission for the state of Oregon. You know, just myself being clean and sober has had dramatic changes in my life and the people around me to the point where my old friends are clean and sober, and a lot of them are going to school, trying to get an education. It's a ripple effect," Vorderstrasse said.
For more information about the services available to help recovering addicts and their families, contact the Jackson County Drug Court.
