On Tuesday, November 23 at 6 p.m. EST, Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) will host a virtual, one-hour Family Forum. This online event will educate attendees on addiction and the recovery resources currently available through ARC and its partners. You can register online for the Family Forum here.

While many of us associate the holidays with fun family traditions, home cooked meals and gift giving, this time of year can be particularly challenging for people struggling with addiction, as well as their loved ones. The regular stresses of the holidays, coupled with an increase in gatherings and events that often center around alcohol, can be extremely triggering for people in active addiction and those in recovery.

To help, Addiction Recovery Care, a leading provider of addiction treatment and recovery services throughout Eastern and Central Kentucky, is offering resources, support and information to individuals impacted by addiction this holiday season.

Participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions and have them answered by ARC employees, many of whom are in recovery themselves. A second Family Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14 at 6 pm EST.

“If you or a loved one are suffering from a substance use disorder, this forum is the perfect opportunity to get the information you need about recovery,” said Pat Fogarty, ARC’s senior vice president of operations. “Lack of education is one of the biggest barriers to treatment and recovery that exists today. The process can feel overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect or where to turn. At ARC, we are doing everything we can to show people that there is help available and to support them in their journey.”

In general, family members should try to enable recovery, rather than enable addiction. This includes empowering the individual to take responsibility, showing them love and support and getting advice from a trusted peer or recovery professional. Family members should also educate themselves on addiction and recovery, make time for sober fun and set boundaries that everyone can agree on.

As we head into the holiday season, drug overdose deaths nationwide continue to reach record highs, with the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating more than 100,000 overdose fatalities in the U.S. between April 2020 and April 2021. The CDC also reports that more than 2,300 Kentuckians lost their lives to drug overdoses during that time—a 54 percent increase from the previous 12-month period.

“Here in Kentucky, we’ve seen multiple factors contributing to the overdose crisis, including a major increase in fentanyl in the drug supply that’s putting lives at risk,” said Matt Brown, senior vice president of administration at ARC. “We also know that substance use has increased during the pandemic, and people are still struggling to cope with job loss, isolation and general widespread anxiety.”

“Thanks to the efforts of our elected leaders and public officials, it’s easier than ever to access treatment for substance use disorder in Kentucky, even among our most vulnerable and high-risk populations. But we still have a long way to go in reducing stigma around treatment and recovery, so that more people are comfortable seeking out help,” added Fogarty.