Great Barrington — There were 441 overdose deaths in Berkshire County in the 10 years between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, there were 19 overdose deaths in the area. To support those dealing with addiction, the South County Recovery Center held its Smash the Stigma community event at Town Hall on Saturday, September 14.
Organizations and community partners at the event included the Railroad Street Youth Project, MA Young People in Recovery, Spectrum Health Systems, Common Collab, and the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery.
The South County Recovery Center opened its Great Barrington office in May 2022 and is operated by Rural Recovery Resources. The mission of the organization and the center, as per its website, is to “engage, assist, refer, and empower people who are affected in any way by addiction; to improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential, in a judgment-free atmosphere.” The center offers programs including coaching, groups, peer-support services, and resources for addicts and recovering addicts.
South County Recovery Center Director Gary Pratt told The Berkshire Edge that, despite the uptick in overdose deaths, there has been progress in preventing further deaths by an expansion of resources offered in Berkshire County. “There are now three peer-recovery centers in Berkshire County, including in North Adams, Pittsfield, and North Adams,” Pratt said. “Through the efforts of Berkshire Harm Reduction, the recovery centers, and the Department of Public Health, we’ve got a lot of Naloxone out into the community.”
Earlier this year, the South County Recovery Center installed a box outside of its building providing 24-hour access to Naloxone. “The Naloxone in the box gets restocked every week,” Pratt said. “Sometimes there’s one or two [Naloxone packages] that have been taken during the week. There are now additional Naloxone boxes in the area as well, including at Guido’s, the Mason Library, and at the Railroad Street Youth Project building. Getting Naloxone out into the community is important.”
Pratt, who himself is in long-term recovery from addiction, said that connection is important in helping others down the path of recovery. “It’s important to foster connections with people and let them know that they’re not alone, that they’re loved, and that recovery is possible,” Pratt said. “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”
“People need to know that they are not alone,” Rachelle Root Gayle, president of the board of directors for Rural Recovery. “They need to know that they matter and have a voice. We don’t stand for the stigma surrounding addiction, and that is why the organization intends to crush that stigma.”
Gayle explained how there have been long-running stigmas surrounding people dealing with addiction. “There is this stigma, this idea, that someone who suffers from substance use or substance-use disorder is not deserving of healthcare or help,” Gayle said. “There is this idea that those dealing with addiction are not deserving of a voice. Our healthcare system, and people in general, automatically see people dealing with addiction as less than worthy of compassion, love, and services. This crushes people dealing with addiction because they are already suffering from shame. They suffer from a lack of self-worth, and then as a culture, we put this stigma on top of them. And it makes them not seek help. It makes them feel like they’re not worthy of help, and we’re here to change that.”
“The best way to help people dealing with addiction is sometimes by meeting them halfway,” said Wolf Valentin, a bilingual recovery coach for the South County Recovery Center. “You need to meet them where they are at and try to see what works for them. There are multiple options that they have. The center is very diverse, and it is a nonjudgemental facility where everyone is welcome. Just be yourself.”
“When it comes to recovery, everybody is on a different journey,” said center recovery coach Stephanie Holcomb. “No matter how anybody is affected by substance-use disorders, we support them and get them to where they need to go. Some people don’t know what they need, but some do. We go in and try to help them navigate what’s going on to help them make their life much more manageable.”
For more information about Rural Recovery and the South County Recovery Center, visit its website.
