Transforming 2 Wellness Recovery Symposium scheduled in Albany

ALBANY — The road to recovery can be an arduous one, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), ASPIRE, Phoebe Behavioral Health and other health organizations want those struggling with addiction to know they don’t have to travel the road alone.

On Wednesday, the Transforming 2 Wellness Recovery Symposium 2016 will be held at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Family Center, 1905 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Albany.

Jere Brands, president of NAMI Albany, said the purpose of the symposium is to show people they have numerous places to go to get help.

“The recovery symposium will host a large number of resource exhibitors,” Brands said. “It will feature stories of recovery from mental health and substance abuse challenges and will give participants a voice in assessing the availability of resources in this area.”

In addition to the aforementioned organizations, SOWEGA Council on Aging, Albany ARC, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, GraceWay Recovery Residence for Women and many more will be represented. Bertha McDonald, a retiree and volunteer with the event, said the sharing that will take place will hopefully inspire others.

“Recovery is motivated by success stories, where people have lived and experienced life,” she said. “And they can have a major impact. We’re hoping that that’s going to have a major impact on everyone that’s there.”

Tony Sanchez, who is in long-term recovery, will serve as moderator. Community contact Michael Harper, who is also a recovering addict, will be the facilitator of the Good Life Drum Circle.

Harper said the purpose of the drum circle is to feed off of one another’s energy and get people on the same wavelength. This, in turn, he said, helps put people in a receptive state of mind.

“One of the things it does is motivate our bodies to create dopamine,” Harper said. “Dopamine makes us feel good, it makes us relax. When you get everyone in a drum circle and on the same psychological level, they are more receptive to what it is you’re trying to share with the group.”

The Transforming 2 Wellness Recovery Symposium was held just outside of Moultrie last year, and Brands said that while many from Albany went, the facilitators wanted to make the event more accessible to this specific community.

“We are trying to reach an urban population that may not have transportation to go to Norman Park,” she said. “So we’re located in a neighborhood where some people can walk to and are familiar with, but it’s also on a bus route, which is why we scheduled the times the way we did.”

Admission to the event is free, but registration is required to receive a free lunch. Registration can be completed online at www.eventbrite.com/e/transforming-2-wellness-tickets-24169847665. For those without online access, call (229) 329-1444 to register over the phone.