Wilfredo Laboy is a Certified Recovery Specialist at Prevention Point. His job is one that should not be taken lightly. He is literally helping other’s creating a new life for themselves. I read once that when one becomes sober, they need to create a new lives for themselves, or their old habits will eventually creep back up on them. Wilfredo is one of those people who are helping other’s create a new lives for themselves. They visit him three times, and he determines where they should go, or what type of help they should receive. He is helping people in any way he can, by finding them housing, and meetings to help these individuals live a sober life.

However, he is also helping others that are still on medication. There is a group that just began called Medication Assistant Recovery Anonymous, where a group of people get together, like any other meeting, only this is for groups of people who are not ashamed of taking their medication. For example there are former drug users living productive lives while on medication such as Suboxone or Methadone. These meetings are for them, because they are living sober lives and to many drug users, meetings save their lives, every day. Meetings help people in recovery stay alive every single day, all they have to do is show up. However, as Wilfredo explained, there is a stigma in the sober community that if someone is taking these medications I mentioned before, are not truly sober. And that is not necessarily the case.

So, the fact that people taking medication have a meeting or a safe haven for them to go and just talk to get things off of their chest is possibly a life changing thing. He also helps those who wish to come off those medications and live a new life, completely sober, which is not an easy accomplishment. It is a very hard process to stop taking a medication that almost ensures one’s sobriety. But, he stated he has seen people who come see to the meetings, one on one, and group meetings every day, and work the program works for them.

As a Certified Recovery Specialist, Wilfredo really wants to help his clients. For example, when he was asked about people being thrown out of a recovery house for relapsing, he said he did not agree with it. He mentioned that obviously it becomes a situation because there are others in the house that are in recovery. So, obviously no one wants to mess with their recovery. However, Wilfredo said he didn’t believe the person who relapsed should be just thrown out into the street. He mentioned maybe finding them other housing, or even punishment, but not throwing them out on their own. Because the whole reason these people are here is to get help. “Don’t be judgmental of medication, keep an open mind and don’t judge those who take medication. Because, we all our own stories,” said Laboy. He wants people to keep an open mind about medication and these meetings. The meetings again are Medication Assistant Recovery Anonymous at the 4400 block of Frankford Ave. at St. Mark’s church.

For more information about the meetings, please contact Megan at 267-414-7555.