Bangor - Addiction recovery was at the core of a conference held in Bangor.

The folks behind the event say they're trying to get the entire community to come together to help solve the problem.

Meghan Hayward reports.

"Recovery does exist in this community. It does, will and can happen."

"To really put a face on recovery. I think a lot of times what happens is that people in the general community only see the people that are failures of the treatment recovery process. They don't see people who are doing well."

That was the focus of the Bangor Area Recovering Community Coalition Conference.

"There are a lot of different ways and pathways to recovery. Our coalition is a big tent and everyone's welcome."

Organizers of the conference say addiction is a huge problem locally and nationally.

"In Penobscot County we spend approximately 100-million dollars per year on alcohol and other drug related problems."

"One out of every ten people need treatment for drug or alcohol problems some time in their lifetime. So we're talking about 10 percent of the population."

About 150 people came to the conference.

"From what we've heard today, we've heard very positive feedback from people that have been participating. We've changed the format based upon last years conference. We changed the format based on that feedback and it seems to be well received."

Bruce Campbell, Chair of BARCC says it's vital for the community to get involved in the fight against addiction.

"It doesn't matter what kind of recovery process your involved in. If you're not doing something that fulfilling then it's very hard to have a meaningful life."

Print this Story

Recent Stories