Compassion, community and medication: What recovery and hope look like in the Berkshires opioid epidemic

“We want a new way to come, to tell our stories, to talk,” he told The Eagle, describing the meeting. “For me, to say, ‘I didn’t use fentanyl today. I didn’t use crack cocaine today. I took all my medications, and I smoked some pot. I’m good.’”

The idea behind Friday’s meeting, organized by South County-based Rural Recovery Resources, is that recovery has no single shape or form. That it requires work, but not necessarily abstinence from all drugs. That the goal of recovery is to stay alive and lead a meaningful life, whatever shape that takes.

“We’re a group that supports each other regardless of one’s recovery pathway,” said Adam Post, a recovery coach with Rural Recovery Resources who works closely with people who use and people in recovery. “It’s all-inclusive, non-denominational. The idea is to have a place where people can share and learn freely from other people who’ve found recovery.”