The US government says that one in every ten Americans is suffering from some sort of addiction.
An addiction can sometimes lead people down the path of drugs and serious crimes.
For most of his life, Michael Duncan says he had been taking the wrong path.
“I made it a point as a child to be incarcerated becauseI felt safe there. WhenI got olderI didn’t know how to function in society,” Duncan said.
He’s now been sober for 18 months.
Alex Barbiero, whose been sober for more than 200 days tells a similar story.
“I started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol at a young age and because of my strong addiction,I lost just about everything in my life.I knewI was powerless over my addiction,” explained Barbiero.
Ordered by a judge to take action, like many addicts, the two were sent to recovery programs like Ontrack.
Defeating addictions is often a hard and challenging step itself, but for these two men, and a group of others their recovery is only a small part of it.
“We don’t look at the havoc we have on our community.I want to feel the empathy for people I’ve harmed, not just my direct victims but my indirect victims,” Duncan said.
That is why they are creating a victim impact panel, a chance for those impacted to share their side of the story.
“I’ve done a lot of things that have hurt a lot of people, it’s the realization and hearing from them. That will keep me from doing it again. It’s an uncomfortable thing but it is important,” Barbiero said.
An important step that will help bring closure to both sides.
Since September is National Recovery Awareness month, the two will also be at the Recovery Fair at the Jackson County Courthouse on September 19.
To find out more about the victim impact panel, you can contact Ontrack at (541) 772-1777.
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