Published: September 17, 2008 07:34 am      

Women open hearts at open house

Nancy N., 38, had lost her sense of self, her job and was evicted from her apartment, and thanks God for every moment.

“I feel blessed to be an alcoholic,” she said Monday at the Liberty Place Recovery Center for Women’s open house. “I get to learn how to deal with life on a daily basis.”

Nancy, who was among the first group of women to enter the facility on June 30, gave her testimony Monday in a more private setting, but was accompanied by Stacy, a fellow self-proclaimed addict who gave her testimony in front of a packed house with standing room only.

First lady Jane Beshear was the guest of honor Monday and was proud to say that Kentucky’s Recovery Kentucky Task Force and the facilities it has brought to the state are being looked at as a model throughout the nation.

The recovery program used at Liberty Place is the same 12-step program as used by Alcoholics Anonymous and has given Nancy N. a new way of processing the trials she encounters in life. She spent years addicted to alcohol and other drugs.

“The first two (steps) are based on admitting you have a problem and getting right with God or a higher power,” she said. “It’s not a religious program. It’s a spiritual program. (The steps) help you get right with yourself and face the problems you have in life, things you’ve done wrong. As for myself, I carry a lot of guilt and remorse and it allows you to rid yourself of that.”

There were 12 women who entered the Liberty Place Recovery Center on June 30, and only six of the original group remain, she said.

“There are several (former residents) who have succumbed to the disease,” Nancy said. “Some have left and came back within the next day or two, and we feel really blessed to have them back.”

Stacy spoke about the first day she arrived at the facility.

“When I walked through the doors here, I’ll never forget the way the doors sounded when they closed shut,” she said. “I’ve never been to jail, but I thought that was the closest thing. I was terrified. I walked in the door and there were all these smiling faces, and I couldn’t understand that. I thought, ‘What in the world is going on here?’”

Being spiritually, financially and emotionally bankrupt, Stacy had to start from rock bottom.

“I had stolen, lied, cheated, every possible thing you could imagine, and I’m very surprised that I’m standing up here doing this today,” she said. “I’m just extremely grateful to be here and feel I have a lot of very close sisters who are helping me get through this on a daily basis.”

Kentucky often has been highlighted as a state with a large drug and alcohol problem, and Beshear shared some interesting facts during her remarks Monday.

“There are statistics that say that about 45 percent of people in the Appalachian region who are seeking treatment primarily for alcohol abuse,” she said. “That’s compared to 22 percent nationwide. What it says to me is that a program like Recovery (Kentucky) is so very important.”

Gov. Steve Beshear established the Recovery Kentucky Task Force on March 22. The 21-member task force is lead by his wife and Don Ball, a member of the Kentucky Housing Corporation board of directors.

“The Recovery Kentucky program is the result of the hard work of many different people and organizations,” said Richard L. McQuady, interim chief executive officer of the Kentucky Housing Corporation that assisted in providing development funds along with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and the Housing Equity Fund of Kentucky.

“We appreciate all of the partners who participated in making this center a reality, which will help countless Kentuckians lead more productive lives,” he said.

Operating funds for the $4,620,000 project were provided by the Kentucky Department for Local Government, Kentucky Department of Corrections and the City of Richmond’s Project-Based Section 8 Housing.

The 29,891-square-foot facility at 218 Lake St. can meet the needs of up to 100 women at a time.

“There are some bright, beautiful people who just needed a break,” said Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson. “Now, they’re getting that break and are going to go back out and be leaders.”

The women have potential to re-enter society and be successful, no matter what their background includes, said Vicki Jozefowicz, executive director of the Kentucky River Foothills Development Council.

“We’ve always said that substance abuse is not about bad people becoming good,” Jozefowicz said. “It’s about sick people becoming well.”

For more information about Liberty Place Recovery Center for Women, go to www.foothillscap.org.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.