Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Penny Stark, Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery

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Penny Stark, Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Sock Valley. You've joined the Waking Crew here
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  Speaker 1: on FM ninety five one and AM fourteen sixty wix N.
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  Speaker 1: It's eight seventeen on your December nineteenth morning, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: joined by our good friends from the Sock Valley Voices
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  Speaker 1: of Recovery today. Their board president Penny Stark is in
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  Speaker 1: the booth with me. Penny, how are you this morning?
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing fantastic. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: I am good, I'm warm inside the booth. We're less
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  Speaker 1: than a week away from Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: I know. We're also just a few days away from
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  Speaker 2: the solstice, so we're going to get longer days, longer sunlight.
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  Speaker 2: I'm totally ready.
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  Speaker 1: I am. I can't do this where it's dark by
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  Speaker 1: five o'clock. And then I'm like, why am I so tired?
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  Speaker 1: Why does it feel like it's nine already? I know, right, Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: totally screws me up every time. I hate it, So
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  Speaker 1: that is a good point to make. I'm glad because
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  Speaker 1: I wasn't aware of it. Yes, so I'm happy. I'm
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  Speaker 1: ready for those those long, longer days, Penny. For those
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  Speaker 1: listeners who might not be familiar with Valley Voices of Recovery,
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  Speaker 1: tell them a little bit about the organization.
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  Speaker 2: So we are a recovery centered organization and what that
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  Speaker 2: means is that we are working towards building a recovery community.
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  Speaker 2: We know that addiction creates isolation, but recovery happens with community,
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  Speaker 2: and so we do a variety of different things. One
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  Speaker 2: of the things that we do is recovery coaching. We
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  Speaker 2: have amazing recovery coaches on our staff that work with
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  Speaker 2: people who are in recovery and try and help lead
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  Speaker 2: them and guide them. We are We do a lot
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  Speaker 2: of sober events, family friendly events, so that you know,
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  Speaker 2: we can all get together and do things that are
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  Speaker 2: fun together and so that people can experience that recovery
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  Speaker 2: is fun. We don't have to just you know, sit
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  Speaker 2: at our home and or go to a bunch of
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  Speaker 2: meetings and just you know, kind of white knuckle it.
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  Speaker 2: That we can actually get out and have fun and
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  Speaker 2: laugh and enjoy each other's company.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, absolutely, I think community is it feels like
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  Speaker 1: it's an integral part. I mean not just in recovery,
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  Speaker 1: but in everyday life. So naturally in recovery, having that
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  Speaker 1: group around you feels like it would be absolutely important.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think too. You know, when I think
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  Speaker 2: back to before I was in recovery, I felt very
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  Speaker 2: different from everyone else. I felt sort of like everybody
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  Speaker 2: else got this guide book on how to interact with
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  Speaker 2: the human race, and somehow I missed it. And being
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  Speaker 2: in recovery and being around other people in recovery gives
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  Speaker 2: me that sense of belonging with like minded individuals. And
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  Speaker 2: the people in recovery get me more than anyone ever has,
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  Speaker 2: and I get them, And so we come together because
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  Speaker 2: we have this common problem of addiction. But what holds
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  Speaker 2: us together is that we're seeking the common solution of recovery.
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  Speaker 2: And so if you kind of think about people who
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  Speaker 2: have been maybe they were shipwrecked, right, and they had
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  Speaker 2: that common bond because they were shipwrecked. They go home
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  Speaker 2: and they go about their lives, and you know, they
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  Speaker 2: may never see each other again. But with recovery, not
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  Speaker 2: only do we have that common bond of being shipwrecked
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  Speaker 2: by addiction, we have the common bond of seeking recovery
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  Speaker 2: together and doing life together. And so it creates these
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  Speaker 2: really special relationships that I never experienced prior to being
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  Speaker 2: in recovery.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, what really makes sense about that and
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  Speaker 1: correct me if I'm wrong. But it seems like recovery,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it feels like and again correct me. It's not
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  Speaker 1: a point that you you reach, but in an ongoing
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  Speaker 1: daily process.
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  Speaker 2: One hundred percent. So I kind of look at it
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  Speaker 2: like if if someone has diabetes, right, they're going to
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  Speaker 2: have diabetes for the rest of their life, and there
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  Speaker 2: are certain things that they have to do to treat
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  Speaker 2: the diabetes on a regular basis. Maybe they need to
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  Speaker 2: take insulin, maybe they need to, you know, change their diet.
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  Speaker 2: It's about what they're putting in their body so that
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  Speaker 2: they can keep their insulin regulated. And if they don't,
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  Speaker 2: really bad things can happen. They can go into a
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  Speaker 2: diabetic coma, they can even die.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 2: Addiction is very much like that. It's about what we're
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  Speaker 2: putting into our body. And I have addiction and I
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  Speaker 2: will have it for the rest of my life, but
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  Speaker 2: I can also manage it and there are certain things
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  Speaker 2: that I need to do on a daily basis to
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  Speaker 2: manage that addiction issue. And so for me, it's being
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  Speaker 2: with like minded individuals. It's being of service to other people.
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  Speaker 2: It's helping people get into treatment, maybe so that they
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  Speaker 2: can get started on their road to recovery. And then
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  Speaker 2: it's also partnering with them on that road to recovery
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  Speaker 2: so that they know that they're not alone and they
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  Speaker 2: have someone that's gone before them that has found this
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  Speaker 2: solution and can walk with them through that solution. And
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  Speaker 2: it creates lasting bonds that you just you can't really
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  Speaker 2: understand it until you experience it.
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  Speaker 1: How long have you been on the road to recovery?
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  Speaker 2: My sobriety date is December third of twenty eighteen, so
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  Speaker 2: I just hit seven years.
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  Speaker 1: Congratulations, thank you. Wow, I mean only one day after
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  Speaker 1: sitting in the booth talking here about it. I know,
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  Speaker 1: crazy that is, but congratulations, thank you. That's that's commitment
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  Speaker 1: of a lot of hard work and personal you know,
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  Speaker 1: insight to truly be sharing and working with other people. Now,
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  Speaker 1: it can take a long time for some folks to
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  Speaker 1: get there. Sometimes it's hard. You know, Soft Valley Voices
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  Speaker 1: of Recovery has all these great services. But I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: there's folks out there right now that you know, they're
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  Speaker 1: struggling with the same thing, but they're they're not sure
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  Speaker 1: if they can take that step. What would you say
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  Speaker 1: to those folks?
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  Speaker 2: I would say to them, let's look at what the
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  Speaker 2: definition of addiction is. Right. It's not going to jail,
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  Speaker 2: it's not getting a it's not losing a job. Those
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  Speaker 2: are all consequences of our actions. But addiction is truly
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  Speaker 2: like once I start, I can't stop, and if I
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  Speaker 2: stop on my own, I can't stay stopped and I
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  Speaker 2: can't stop starting. And if you can relate to that,
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  Speaker 2: then reach out. There is help, Help is available. We
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  Speaker 2: can't do this alone. We have to have that community
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  Speaker 2: around us to support us and to guide us through this.
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  Speaker 2: A diabetic isn't going to be able to manage their
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  Speaker 2: diabetes unless they have a physician who is teaching them
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  Speaker 2: how to do that. We can't manage our addictions and
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  Speaker 2: recovery unless we have people around us who are teaching
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  Speaker 2: us how to do that. So when I say addiction
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  Speaker 2: creates isolation, it truly does. But recovery happens in community.
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  Speaker 2: And there's a community of people who love you already
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  Speaker 2: before you even get here, who understand you in a
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  Speaker 2: way that no one has ever understood you before. And
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  Speaker 2: we're going to meet you right where you're at with
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  Speaker 2: zero judgment, and we just want to be that person
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  Speaker 2: or that group of people that helps you to discover
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  Speaker 2: who you truly are without all of the substances and
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  Speaker 2: become the person that you already are that's just covered
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  Speaker 2: up with all of these other things.
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  Speaker 1: What do you think is it that maybe family members
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  Speaker 1: or friends that are close to people struggling with this
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  Speaker 1: maybe don't quite understand because I can get where like
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  Speaker 1: minded people saw value voices of recovery already being in
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  Speaker 1: that correct, you know, kind of frame of mind. But
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  Speaker 1: what is it about those are who are closest to
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  Speaker 1: those that are struggling that you think they don't really
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  Speaker 1: quite get.
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  Speaker 2: Really, it's two things. I think The first thing that
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  Speaker 2: people have to understand is that addiction hasn't a choice.
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  Speaker 2: Like nobody wakes up one day and says, my you know,
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  Speaker 2: my career choice is to be addicted to substances and
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  Speaker 2: to disappoint everyone around me and and you know, to
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  Speaker 2: have all of these consequences. Nobody chooses it. It chooses us.
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  Speaker 2: There's about ten percent of the population that has the
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  Speaker 2: illness the disease of addiction, and so it's not a choice.
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  Speaker 2: The behaviors that come out of that are not coming
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  Speaker 2: from the core of who that person really is. The
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  Speaker 2: behaviors are driven by that addiction. I think the second
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  Speaker 2: thing that people need to recognize, especially those that love
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  Speaker 2: us the most, It's not your fault. You didn't cause it,
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  Speaker 2: you can't cure it, and you can't control it. It's
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  Speaker 2: not a moral failing on the part of the person
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  Speaker 2: who is addicted. It's not a moral failing on the
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  Speaker 2: part of the loved ones. It's an illness that needs
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  Speaker 2: to be managed. And there's help for family members as well.
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  Speaker 2: There's groups like alan On Fantastic Family's Anonymous, Fantastic Right.
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  Speaker 2: Those are free and there's help out there and available.
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  Speaker 2: We have this unique ability as people who are an
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  Speaker 2: active addiction to almost infect the people around us, right,
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  Speaker 2: And they may not pick up a drink or a
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  Speaker 2: drug or a substance, but they may carry some of
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  Speaker 2: the behaviors. Right. And if you're trying to fix manager
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  Speaker 2: control someone else's addiction, reach out for help is available
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  Speaker 2: for you, and recovery is available for you too. Alan
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  Speaker 2: On Family's Anonymous, finding a great trauma therapist or a
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  Speaker 2: one on one therapist who specializes in addiction or addiction
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  Speaker 2: recovery or family counseling. Great resources.
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  Speaker 1: There's also Recovery Centers of America where you're a senior
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  Speaker 1: outreach manager.
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  Speaker 2: Right, yes, yes, I am a senior outreach manager with
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  Speaker 2: Recovery Centers of America. We have family programming that is
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  Speaker 2: available for anyone that has a family member that is
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  Speaker 2: struggling and that doesn't cost anything. It's a web based program.
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  Speaker 2: It's called Seeds to Recovery see d S two Recovery.
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  Speaker 2: It's a web based program and then you know if
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  Speaker 2: you have a loved one or if you are struggling
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  Speaker 2: with addiction, it's really easy to reach out. It's a
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  Speaker 2: simple phone call and it's not about trying to get
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  Speaker 2: you into treatment or make you do anything that you
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  Speaker 2: are not ready to do. It's about meeting you where
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  Speaker 2: you're at and beginning to partner with you on that journey.
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  Speaker 2: And if you decide that you want to go to treatment,
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  Speaker 2: we'll get you into treatment. If you decide that you
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  Speaker 2: want to go to maybe it's Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous,
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  Speaker 2: or any of the a's that are out there, there's
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  Speaker 2: lots of them. If whatever pathway to recovery that you
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  Speaker 2: choose that's going to work for you, then let's help
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  Speaker 2: you get connected there.
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  Speaker 1: And I think that's important having so many different pathways,
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  Speaker 1: because not recovery doesn't look the same for everyone, right.
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  Speaker 2: Everybody's journey is different. I happen to be a member
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  Speaker 2: of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I'm very happy about that. It
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  Speaker 2: was the last thing that I tried and the only
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  Speaker 2: thing that worked right. But that doesn't mean that it's
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  Speaker 2: the only way. Even Alcoholics Anonymous will tell you it's
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  Speaker 2: just one way. They're smart recovery. There is sisters in sobriety,
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  Speaker 2: there's secular sobriety, there's celebrate recovery. All different pathways that
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  Speaker 2: are out there. And the really cool thing about Sock
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  Speaker 2: Valley and about Recovery Centers of America is that we
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  Speaker 2: support all pathways to recovery. We recognize that everybody is
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  Speaker 2: a little bit different and they need to find that
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  Speaker 2: place that fits and works for them, and we're going
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  Speaker 2: to support that.
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  Speaker 1: That's absolutely amazing. That's wonderful over and Rock Falls, I
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  Speaker 1: mean so much locally now as well. You guys have
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  Speaker 1: Cleete's House of Hope. We do, yes, I mean, that's
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  Speaker 1: nothing like that around here, to that kind of a scale.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, And That's one of the things that I love
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  Speaker 2: about Sock Valley Voices is that we're really looking forward
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  Speaker 2: and we want to create that community. Like I said,
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  Speaker 2: and out in the Sack Valley area, in the Illinois
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  Speaker 2: Valley area, it's kind of a desert. There's not a
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  Speaker 2: whole lot out here, and so opening Cletie's house was huge.
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  Speaker 2: And I get to work with these ladies on a
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  Speaker 2: weekly basis. I bring a recovery meeting over there, and
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  Speaker 2: it is the most satisfying, gratifying experience. I love these
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  Speaker 2: women with all of my heart, and after the meeting
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  Speaker 2: I feel like I'm walking on air when I walk
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  Speaker 2: out of there. They don't know how much they bless
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  Speaker 2: me and how integral they are to my own recovery,
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  Speaker 2: because I think, at the end of the day, the
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  Speaker 2: foundation of recovery is being of service to other people.
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  Speaker 2: I get to get out of myself, right because I
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  Speaker 2: may not be much, but I'm all I think about
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  Speaker 2: kind of thing. So I have to get out of
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  Speaker 2: myself and I want to be of service to other people.
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  Speaker 2: And I want to carry this message of hope to
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  Speaker 2: other people. And when I get to do that and
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  Speaker 2: I see the lights come on and I see hope return,
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  Speaker 2: and I see women getting jobs, getting their kids back,
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  Speaker 2: getting their families back, you know, really rebuilding their lives.
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  Speaker 2: It is the most gratifying thing I've ever done, and
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  Speaker 2: it's for fun and for free.
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  Speaker 1: I see you light up when you're talking about it,
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  Speaker 1: so I have no doubt about that, like you instantly
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  Speaker 1: went to a smile.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, those ladies are They're incredibly special. They're beautiful.
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  Speaker 2: I don't have enough adjectives. And the work that is
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  Speaker 2: being done over there, it's life saving and it's life changing,
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  Speaker 2: it's really vital. And I think the more we can
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  Speaker 2: create these opportunities for people, and the more we can
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  Speaker 2: meet people where they're at and give them hope and
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  Speaker 2: share just true it's true love with them. It's that
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  Speaker 2: unconditional acceptance that we don't find very often right and
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  Speaker 2: just in our culture. And when we can meet people
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  Speaker 2: in that place and see them really rebuild their lives,
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  Speaker 2: there's nothing better.
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  Speaker 1: That's that's absolutely beautiful. We're out of time, but I
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  Speaker 1: want to thank you so much, not just for all
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  Speaker 1: the work that you're doing over there at Sout Valley
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  Speaker 1: Voices of recovery with them and that organization, and thank
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  Speaker 1: you all so much for what you're doing, but for
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  Speaker 1: coming in the booth and sharing such a personal part
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  Speaker 1: of yourself because I can tell you know that it's
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  Speaker 1: going to help someone else.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, and thank you so much for having us, and uh,
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  Speaker 2: it's great meeting you. I appreciate being on today.
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  Speaker 1: No, absolutely, and I hope you have a merry Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: And I had you here. Thank you, same to you.