Over the past several years, a lot of work has been done to end the stigma surrounding mental health.
The work has paid off, as many who would have been embarrassed to ask for help have been doing just that.
However, a stigma still remains for those who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol or are unhoused.
The Lighthouse Recovery Community Center is looking to end that stigma by hosting an event, which Lighthouse Programing Director Alex Hunt said on a recent episode of the A Light of Hope podcast, is scheduled for the second Saturday of each month.
“I guess you could call it an open mic type of thing,” he explained. “We will have a speaker, so someone will come up and share their experience. It goes for about an hour and a half, so there is time for more besides that too, rather than someone just speaking for 90 minutes.”
While anyone is welcome to tell their story, Hunt says they would love to hear from people that are connected to the recovery community, but not necessarily in recovery themselves.
He said the point of the program is to end all stigmas, not just those surrounding substance use.
“Stigma is the problem in a lot of different aspects,” Hunt said. “Its when you are from a group that is marginalized for whatever reason, you are treated differently. That is what the stigma is. People, not even coming from a place of malevolence but just naturally, with how society is structured and what they learned, they just naturally put us into a box.”
You can learn more about the recurring event, and everything the Lighthouse Recovery Community Center is doing by listening to the show
New episodes are posted every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at SeehaferPodcasts.com.
