18 | JULY 16 - 22, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
Addiction Continued from Page 17
(IOP) after detox. As part of the IOP, he had to do online meetings for about four hours in the morning, but he balanced that with in-person sessions at the recovery center, which, by that time, he felt ready to attend. “Without the center now, I’d probably still be in trouble out there,” Siekierski said, adding that although he was worried about returning after his relapse, nobody judged him. “They all said, ‘Welcome back.’” Now, he takes that same approach when he sees new people at the center. “The center is my home group now, and I try to welcome the next person. Not push them, but let them know that uncomfortable feeling is the fi rst step in feeling comfortable,” Siekierski said. “With COVID, don’t let it be an excuse. Don’t let it be that big of a fear, letting it get in front of your recovery,” Siekierski said. “Don’t stop what’s working for you because COVID is a fear. I lost my sobriety because I became complacent at home. You’re stuck in your head; that addict thinking comes back, that no one wants to hear my problems. It’s a downfall. The drugs make you feel good for a moment, but don’t lose everything you worked for.” Because Opening the Word is all-volunteer, it was able to stay open throughout the quarantine while other state-funded facilities were closed. “We felt like we were essential workers, too. People in recovery desperately needed support,” Ford said. “Idle time is the devil’s workshop, as they say. It made it very diffi cult. That was the reason we decided to open – and stay open.” Opening the Word followed all of the governor’s mandates as far as mask-wearing, sanitizing and cleaning and was able to off er most of its usual programs during the quarantine. The center has a robust
Marie Bugbee shows off her completed collage during an art class July 2 at Opening the Word Peer Recovery Center. PHOTOS BY RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
schedule of meetings and activities, including Recovery Yoga, Music in Recovery, Recovery Art and Recovery Bible Study. According to Ford, not a single person contracted COVID through attending programs at the center the entire time it was open during the quarantine. “We felt like we did the right thing,” Ford said of staying open. “A lot of people were grateful to have 12-step meetings online, but there were really people who needed to be in person.” She added, “A lot of groups were totally displaced because of COVID. Even churches — so many 12-step programs happen in church basements.” Crystal de Angelo, who helps run the Loved Ones Support Group at Opening the Word, said that for many people going See ADDICTION, Page 19
Projects from past art classes hang on the wall at Opening the Word Peer Recovery Center in Webster.
