By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

People in the community who’ve experienced a loved one dying from an opiate overdose can take part in a candlelight vigil being held at the local recovery center next Thursday. 

People can do it on their own time since it is a drop-in vigil. 

Last year, 10,110 Mainers had their lives shortened by opiates. To have that many people die in a 12-month period makes addiction an issue that the public cannot ignore.

National Overdose Awareness Day happens on Aug. 31, which is a Thursday. Bridgton-based Lake Region Recovery Center (LRRC) has setup a space for a drop-in vigil at the center throughout that day.

National Overdose Awareness “is more than just a day, it is a time to remember those that lost their battle. We don’t want people to just be a statistic, they were somebody’s loved one, family, friend, neighbor. This chronic illness doesn’t discriminate. This can affect anyone no matter a person’s race, sex, social class or ethnicity,” according to LRRC Executive Director Tracey Martin.

Awareness is a vital step toward helping with opiate addiction or any addiction, Martin said. However, big road blocks to recovery do exist. Often, stereotypes about drug addiction scare away people.

“I believe that more people would reach out for help if there wasn’t so much stigma and anger when talking about substance use. But that anger can come from fear. Fear from not understanding how addiction and the brain works. We want people to ask the tough questions,” Martin said. “We want to help educate. If people are curious, we encourage them to walk through our door and see who we are and what we are not.”

In the battle against opiate-overdose deaths, the recovery center raises awareness a variety of ways.

“We hold monthly classes including Narcan training, human trafficking classes, ‘Smart Recovery for Teens,’ a women’s Group, grief Trauma & Loss group and many more to help educate the community on addiction and other important subject matters,” she said.

“We attend outside groups and statewide training so staff and volunteers can learn what is going on in other parts of Maine and other parts of the country. It is important that we know the trends and any new threats, poisons in our area so that we can alert the community. We have been invited and participated in three “Wellness Days” at local high schools,” she said.

In addition to reaching out to the community, staff treat everybody with acceptance and anonymity.

“LRRC provides a safe space for any groups that need additional support. There are many things that people are trying to recover from. It is all about what recovery means to you, that is what recovery is,” she said.  

The center started five years ago — thanks to a grant to for rural communities.

“LRRC was funded by a grant that was awarded to a rural area. LRRC came to life because of the Request for Proposal that was written and chosen by the state to represent this rural area. There were many rural towns applying for this grant but only a few were awarded. We are so thankful we were one of them,” Martin said.

In 2019, the newly opened center held it first event for National Overdose Awareness Day.

Therefore, next week’s vigil will be the fifth annual observance of the day. In that time, the center has had growing spurts.

“Over the last 5 years, we have expanded our groups, our community outreach and our physical location due to a much growing crisis,” Martin said. “LRRC is always thinking about the next thing. What does our community need, what would be most helpful? We create plans and put them into action such as Narcan distribution after a person is discharged from the Emergency Department, if they have presented with a substance use disorder.”