Recovery village fights end the stigma of addiction at Wide Open Bluegrass Festival

Saturday, September 28, 2019
Trying to end stigma of addiction at Wide Open Bluegrass Festival
Thousands are in Downtown Raleigh this weekend listening to some of the world's best strum guitars and banjos at the World of Bluegrass Festival.

Thousands are in Downtown Raleigh this weekend listening to some of the world's best strum guitars and banjos at the World of Bluegrass Festival.



But there's also an effort in the middle of the crowd to talk about something that's not talked about in the music industry: substance abuse and addiction.



"There is a stigma out there that we want to help the community and society as a whole to let go of: we all need help and we all need support," said Stephanie Treadway, a member of the board of Recovery Communities of North Carolina.



Her group is one of six non-profits that have teamed up for the "North Carolina Recovery Village," which is located on the expo floor.



It's the first time that this has been set up in a booth style at this festival. The Governor's Institute, Healing Transitions, the Addiction Professionals of NC, the Alcohol Drug Council of NC as well as Community Impact are part of the booth.



Treadway is in long-term recovery herself. She went to work at a women's prison and eventually ran the drug treatment program at a women's prison in Raleigh.



Now her group helps women who get out of prison find housing.



"We're here this week to try and educate the community," Treadway said. "We want to help break the stigma of addiction and help people get the help that they need."

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