\u201cIt was an overwhelming amount of law enforcement at the house,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A few months after she stopped drinking, her friend, Jake, died by an overdose in 2017.<\/p>\n
That same year, 1,000 Coloradans died by a drug overdose, a new record, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.<\/p>\n
A 2015 survey found 23 million Americans have struggled with drug use at some point in their lives, and a majority of people who have a problem never seek treatment, according to the National Institutes of Health<\/a>. Nearly a third of Americans will struggle with alcohol abuse, but only 20 percent of those people will seek treatment, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found<\/a>.<\/p>\n After the death of her friend, Seay was inspired to do something to help addicts, but she didn\u2019t know what.<\/p>\n While researching support groups for addicts online, she found Young People in Recovery.<\/p>\n Seay decided to found a local chapter to give those struggling with addiction another option for support in addition to the 12-step groups in town, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.<\/p>\n \u201cI just felt that there should be more avenues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Durango Young People in Recovery chapter holds a weekly support group meeting that is open to anyone, no matter what type of addiction they are struggling with, she said. Family and friends of those struggling with addiction, and others interested in supporting those in recovery, are also welcome. It has been drawing close to 30 people, she said.<\/p>\n The group is not intended to replace anyone\u2019s existing support group, therapy or medication; rather, it is meant to enhance other forms of care, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 model of recovery, and we believe each individual\u2019s path should be respected and celebrated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n While \u201cyoung people\u201d is specified in the name, the chapter welcomes people of all ages, she said.<\/p>\n Young People in Recovery plans social events, such as movie nights and group hikes. This summer, the group put together a kickball team to compete in the city of Durango\u2019s league to help people with their recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cI know speaking from experience, you really have to get involved in other hobbies and create a new lifestyle, basically,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The group also started a free weekly yoga class, which is an activity that helped Seay in her recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cYoga really teaches people how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The group also plans to offer more educational workshops around employment, such as how to explain gaps in a r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Other workshops are likely to cover how to talk about recovering from addiction and financial literacy skills, such as how to build a budget, she said.<\/p>\n One of the most important messages for Seay, she said, is encouraging those with addictions to keep working on recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cIf one pathway doesn\u2019t work for them, they can try something else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n