The Marblehead and Swampscott Health Departments are collaborating on a six-week “Understanding Addiction and Recovery” series that’s free for community members, starting Feb. 3.
The meetings will be held on Zoom during the first and third Tuesdays of the month, and will run from 7-8 p.m.
The program will be facilitated by Michelle Simons, opioid settlement funds program contractor for the Town of Swampscott, and Gina M. Rabbitt, a mental health expert and jail diversion clinician for the Marblehead Police Department. Simons said the goal was to start an educational series that could benefit community members who might need assistance.
“It’s based on understanding addiction, and how it affects families, communities, as well as how to better support someone that is struggling themselves,” Simons said. “We do have a schedule and topics for each week; however, we want to see this grow organically so that we can meet the community needs.”
Simons continued that week one centers around understanding addiction, which will also offer insight into the path toward recovery. Week two covers pathways to addiction and the different elements involved with its development. She said week three will discuss how addiction impacts relationships and the broader community.
Week four delves into topics like recovery and change, which aims to reiterate that recovery is possible and what that path looks like for participants. Week five elaborates on treatment resources, while week six is anchored in building a recovery-friendly community.
“We’d love to address the shame and stigma, especially in some of the more affluent communities. It’s definitely less talked about, the stigma is a little higher and sometimes a little more difficult to address if people have the finances to keep it quiet, per se,” Simons said. “It’s about opening up conversations about addiction, and getting people a little more open to discuss the harder topics… Also, it’s about giving them the skills to be able to have these conversations, or recognizing something within themselves.”
Rabbitt explained that the she was eager to collaborate with Simons to bring the program to the community, saying she’s hopeful that it will have a great turnout.
“The hope is that even if one person speaks out, that it will create a domino effect. We’re trying to create that dynamic where people feel like they have a safe space… I don’t want people to feel alone,” Rabbitt said. “Sometimes, living in middle to upper-class communities, there’s the belief that there’s nothing to talk about at all regarding addiction, but that’s not the case.”
Rabbitt reiterated that while the program has a scheduled list of topics and discussions, she also hopes that it can help her and Simons listen to the needs of the community, to determine how they can be properly accommodated.
“If participants say on day one that they just want to be educated, or if they say they need resources (or) whatever the case may be, our goal is to give back to the community and listen to their needs, to let them be heard,” Rabbitt said.
For those who may be interested to learn more, they can follow the link at: https://www.swampscottma.gov/home/news/6-week-understanding-addiction-recovery-series
