The road to recovery is not traveled alone Tree of Hope ceremony recognizes those waging fight against addiction BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer NORTH BRUNSWICK - This is for Marty, the first woman to find recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. This is for Jason, who died at Rutgers University of a prescription drug overdose. This is for Jerry, who is still struggling with his addictions. This is for John and Robert, brothers who both died in their 30s due to drug overdoses. This is for Joseph, the father of the two brothers, who is doing his best to recover from his own alcohol addiction. At the fifth annual Tree of Hope ceremony held in recognition of National Addiction Recovery Month on Sept. 27, a crowd of a few hundred people placed ornaments in honor of their loved ones on a newly planted evergreen tree at the Princeton House on Livingston Avenue. "Most people, when they think of someone who is a drug addict or alcoholic adult, they think they are one step away from the gutter. We are here tonight to celebrate recovery," said Steven Liga, the CEO and executive director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Middlesex County. The Tree of Hope ceremony is celebrated in recognition of local agencies that contribute significantly to recovery efforts in the county. "Princeton House is one of the organizations that from the very first year said they wanted to be part of the celebration. Every year they are here as volunteers, every year they are here to market ... and with a wonderful facility here in North Brunswick, it is only fitting that for the fifth anniversary we bring it back here," Liga said. The Princeton Health Care system has been in place for 87 years, with the behavioral health sector added in 1971. The Princeton campus has 96 beds for inpatient mental health and detoxification patients, and a new program set for early next year will target eating disorders. "We do share the commitment to helping persons with additions to recover and reclaim their lives," said Richard Wohl, the senior vice president for Behavioral Health of the Princeton HealthCare System. In 1999 the North Brunswick facility began treating outpatient addictions, psychological problems and co-recurring disorders. "It's a great honor to be honored by NCADD tonight," said Karen Cochrane, the Princeton House site director for North Brunswick. "I think what hasn't changed are the people who make a difference, and that's the backbone of this field. ... Those who should be honored tonight, those are the ones who do this work because they love it and who love the thanks they get when someone says their life is better now, they're on the right track." Several recovering addicts told their personal stories of struggle and recovery. Larry W. recently celebrated his second anniversary of calling the Princeton House to receive help. An alcoholic who would find a way to miss his entire work week, he eventually realized he wanted to stay sober. "To be in a program with people of all walks of life and realize I'm not the only one with problems and I'm not the only one who is isolated ... I see things a lot clearer now and I know if I start drinking again [everything] I have now will go away," he said. Val S. was a drug addict since he was a teenager, compiling a list of nearly every drug imaginable since the age of 12. He received degrees from Rutgers University in cell biology and psychology and held a corporate job but drugs "brought him down to his knees." Although he went "kicking and screaming" to the Princeton House after a stint in a 12-step program, he soon realized he couldn't recover alone, because he had tried for so long and failed. "I started to break down the wall of denial I had and started to break down my life," he said. "I can build a whole new life and stop using drugs ... and act as a productive member of society now; it's bizarre. And I enjoy every day. Recovery has brought out the good side of me and brought out the good assets instead of indulging in the negative aspects." Jim L. is a recovering addict who spent 28 years of his life indulging in drugs, dating back to the 1970s. At age 44 his life came crashing down, as he lived in a trailer with no running water or electricity. His wife left him, he couldn't see his children, he attempted suicide and the police were after him. He finally had an awakening from God and realized he did not want to live the next 25 years of his life the same way. "I knew at that point of recovery I could lose my children, lose my business, lose everything I worked for, but living the life of an addict I knew there had to be a better way," he said. He said his time at Princeton House and another facility allowed him to understand the nature of his disease and allow him to battle the low-level depression he had been suffering from for years. "If you want recovery you have to work for it, it's just not going to come to you," he said. "Everything always had to be done my way. I put that aside and did it this way." He now volunteers his time, attending nightly meetings and giving lectures as a guest speaker. He also sponsors a young man at the workhouse. "It's a true miracle and a joy to behold," Liga said of the improvement of each of the men's lives. Before the ornaments were hung on the tree of hope, the Cathedral's Nightsong Choir performed "I Need You to Survive" by Hezekiah Walker, and after a serenity prayer, they sang "Trading My Sorrows." "Every story you hear in recovery, you hear about someone reached out a hand for another. That's what we do, as a group," Liga said. "We believe hope is possible, recovery is possible, recovery can happen for anyone and we need to celebrate it." For more information about Princeton House, visit www.ncadd-middlesex.org.