At The Way Out Recovery SCV, staff believe that asking for help is the first step toward breaking free from drug and alcohol addiction.
Sponsored Articles
“Drug and alcohol and mental health issues are pervasive all around us; in my opinion, it’s probably the most pervasive issue that faces us as a city, a nation, a world,” said Bob Sharits, program director at The Way Out Recovery SCV. “So we all know someone who suffers as a result of substance abuse and mental issues, and there is help available.”
Sharits stressed the importance of knowing that it’s okay to acknowledge that you or a loved one is struggling, whether it’s to a staff member at The Way Out Recovery SCV or some other community resource.
Related: The Way Out Recovery SCV, Child & Family Center To Host ‘Voices For Recovery’ Resource Fair, Panels
“If you or someone you love needs help, please reach out to somebody — if not us, somebody else,” Sharits said. “A teacher, a friend, a pastor, a police officer, your neighbor, family, somebody, and just ask for help. It’s okay to say, ‘I’m struggling.’ It’s okay to ask for help, and asking for help is the first step.”
As someone in recovery from substance abuse himself, Sharits shared his own experience in hopes it will encourage others who are hesitating to seek treatment for themselves or a loved one:
“That was the greatest thing I ever did, was to surrender and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” Sharits said. “As a result of that and allowing people to help me, I’ve been able to experience this recovery process, which is just a wonderful, incredible thing. We live in this big, beautiful world, and I’m blessed every day to be clean and sober.”
The Way Out Recovery SCV offers an intensive outpatient program for both adolescents and adults dealing with substance abuse issues, and aims to teach lifelong coping skills and strategies that help enable their clients to live happy, meaningful lives without the need for destructive behaviors.
For those interested in learning more about The Way Out Recovery SCV and the numerous other resources available in Santa Clarita, the center is partnering with the Child & Family Center to hold an event called “Voices for Recovery” on Sept. 27.
The free event is expected to feature a resource fair with a number of organizations that specialize in helping people with substance use disorders and mental health issues, as well as panel presentations by both professionals in the field and individuals in recovery who volunteered to share their stories.
“In drug and alcohol and mental health treatment, it is not a one-size-fits-all,” said Sharits in a previous interview with KHTS. “As a person who is in recovery, I need to utilize multiple different resources, and so we have invited a bunch of resources to be there.”
For more information about Voices for Recovery hosted by The Way Out Recovery SCV and the Child & Family Center, click here.
Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Community Spotlight based on a recent interview with The Way Out Recovery SCV.28118 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
(661) 296-4444