Addiction is a slow process. Someone takes a drink or a drug and, suddenly, everything feels great. Maybe they experience a sense of happiness or weightlessness from the everyday stresses of life. Maybe they feel alive. Maybe they feel like they have finally found something that they can depend on and turn to just to feel “okay.”
That first step is an easy one for many, and those next steps become even easier. One more drink or use of drugs turns into many more until they are facing a craving that they can’t seem to shake.
It’s estimated that over 19 million people over the age of 12 face substance use disorders every single day.
Let that sink in for a moment. That number is more than the population of the state of Virginia—almost tripled.
Those are people who wake up every day, enslaved to a master beyond their control. The vice once used to create calm and peace now creates something that feels closer to loneliness and longing, but the only way to shake it is to continue doing more.
The cycle is real, complex and alienating not only to the person going through it, but to their loved ones alongside them. But those cycles can be broken.
Central Virginia Addiction and Recovery Resources
The Central Virginia Addiction and Recovery Resources (CVARR) consists of practitioners and community members who want to help those walking through substance use and recovery. CVARR has created a prevention, treatment and recovery network to connect individuals with the right resources for their specific need and circumstance, so that they may work toward recovery.
Not to mention, CVARR identifies gaps in services, prioritizes resources and reduces the impact of substance use on individuals, families and the community.
“The mission of Central Virginia Addiction and Recovery Resources is to engage the community in the reduction of substance use through education and collaboration.”
At Community Access Network, we’ve diligently worked alongside others within CVARR to launch this program, aimed at providing the right education and resources to the right people.
How CVARR Can Help
With the launch of CVARR in January 2020, they’ll be working to focus on prevention, treatment, recovery and supporting local health providers, Community Access Network being one of them. Together, CVARR and Community Access Network will work together to provide more substance use resources and options to our community.
We want those struggling with addiction to know that there is hope. Through these upcoming resources, plus the Central Virginia Hope Initiative, we aim to offer help to anyone who asks for it.
