In the Crossroads Recovery Center’s first year in existence, eight women graduated from the program in an attempt to better their lives and break the downward spiral of substance abuse. The center celebrated those women and the center’s one-year anniversary Friday, July 23 at the home.

The event featured the music of the Bluegrass Revival along with the recognition of the Crossroads and STOP Coalition staff and a large dinner for all attendees.

During the celebration, Amy Turner, executive director of the STOP Coalition and Crossroads, thanked the staff of Crossroads and STOP as well as the participants of their Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Turner also took time to speak about alcohol and drug abuse, its causes, statistics, and how to begin recovery.

“Many times prescription drug abuse starts for the right reasons, like an injury,” said Turner during the celebration. “We obviously have a problem and it’s not just in West Virginia.”

Primarily, the problem with prescription drug abuse seems to begin with the sharing of medication between family and friends. According to a national survey by the Office of Applied Studies, seventy-four percent of prescription pain relievers obtained by non-medical uses are obtained from family and friends. Only 13 percent are obtained from doctors, 11 percent from drug dealers and two percent acquired from the Internet, theft, or fraud.

From 2001 to 2006, West Virginia suffered 1,479 fatalities by overdose with Mingo and the surrounding counties having more than 40 deaths each. In 2006, drug abuse and addiction cost the state $1.68 billion with approximately $470 million coming from direct costs.

According to statistics from the West Virginia Coalition against Domestic Violence, over half of domestic violence cases involve substance abuse.

Forty-five percent of all cases involved alcohol and 19 percent involved substance abuse in some way.

The center uses a combination of early intervention, prevention and recovery to address substance abuse.

“If recovery was not addressed, we would lose a very important aspect in our fight against substance abuse,” Turner said in a previous interview with the Gilbert Times.

More information about the STOP Coalition and the Crossroads Recovery Center can be found at www.stopwv.org or by calling (304) 664-3986.