GREENVILLE, Mich. — A brand new recovery drop-in center is now open in downtown Greenville, with the goal of making the first step toward recovery a little easier.
Samaritan Way, a West Michigan organization focused on addiction recovery support, has opened the new location for those beginning their recovery journey.
“I know that we have the ability to help, and being able to get to these rural communities where there's not the same kind of help is just huge,” Samaritan Way Founder and Executive Director Joe Hekkema said.
The lead volunteer at their new Greenville location, Sieara Douglas, says a drop in center would have been so helpful when she was battling addiction.
I absolutely would have utilized it,” Douglas said, “that's why I encourage everyone to just give it a try.”
Douglas says she battled alcohol addiction for more than a decade, often mixing alcohol with benzodiazepines. But everything changed when she became a mother, realizing she had a life-altering choice to make.
“It's either the alcohol and you dying from it, or you can change your life, and you can still be a part of your daughter's life,” Douglas said.
She chose recovery.
Through Samaritan Way, Douglas found not only sobriety, but purpose, helping others who are fighting similar battles.
“I started off not believing I would do anything in my life, and now I'm looking at an amazing career and something that I've wanted to do, even in my active addiction, knowing that being a recovery coach was what I was meant to do,” she said.
Hekkema says the new downtown drop-in center is designed to be a safe space for people who may feel isolated at the beginning of recovery.
“When you're coming out of addiction or just starting a recovery journey, you often don't have any friends, any family,” Hekkema said, “so it's important to have a community around you.”
Click here to learn more about Samaritan Way’s resources.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can contact Life Healthcare at 616-358-2208. The number connects callers to any Samaritan Way location 24 hours a day.
