The Other Door
The Other Door, a program of Family & Children's Center, was founded in 2013 to help persons in Vernon County who suffer from mental health and substance abuse issues. The Other Door is open five days per week from 4pm to 8pm and hosts AA on Saturday at noon. The Other Door is also open on holidays to help those seeking recovery engage in holiday events without substance use and to be with others who share common struggles.
Imagine…You are leaving an abusive relationship. You are staying in a hotel with your two kids. Alone….. It’s Independence Day. You look out the window and see people having a picnic. You walk over and stand outside of the crowd. Your kids are at your side. A man comes up to you and invites you to eat. You begin to cry. He calls to a friend who introduces himself to the kids and asks if they want to play games. The kids who have been traumatized by the same abuse that traumatizes you look happy and ask if they can go. You say yes. The other man offers you food, sits with you as you eat, offers you understanding and acceptance and resources. You are given additional food for the morning. You have plans to meet with family the next day. You now have resources to get help for you and your children. You and your children now sleep having been fed, listened to, supported and entertained. You no longer feel alone.
Imagine….You are 18, you are two months from graduation, you are sitting in your room reading. You begin to hear voices……You are worthless, you don’t deserve to graduate, you are stupid, you don’t deserve to live. You talk to your parents who help you get to a hospital. You are hospitalized for a week, put on medication and sent home Your friends ask where you were. You can’t tell them you are crazy, you don’t even believe it. You don’t want to have psychosis, you don’t want to take meds that make you feel tiredand make you feel hungry all of the time. Your parents and your doctor say you need to take meds to feel normal. What is normal? There is no normal. You hear about this place. The Other Door. You go in and see people doing art work and playing pool. You are approached by a man who welcomes you. You hang out for a bit. Eventually the man comes back and you begin to talk. You find out he also is on medication. His illness is different from yours but he knows mental illness, he knows stigma, he listens he hears. You learn about NAMI, a support group for families experiencing mental illness. You and your family have a place to go.
Imagine…..You have a wonderful wife, two great kids a wonderful life. But you can’t feel happy. Nothing you do makes you feel happy. You begin to drink and this helps but you still feel miserable. You talk to a friend who suggests Meth…Meth, you would never use meth. NEVER! But, your friend uses it and he says he feels great. You try it. You feel GREAT! You begin to spend money, food money, bill money any money on meth….Now you need meth to feel okay. You begin to argue with your wife, you cannot pay your bills and you can’t face your kids. You are not this person. You get pulled over and they find meth. Arrested, in jail, court dates. This is not who you are….You get sentenced to drug court. As part of this program you learn about a place called The Other Door. Along with other services you begin to attend AA/NA meetings. They are daily. You meet others that have experienced what you have experienced. You meet others in recovery. You take the first step toward turning your life around.
Each of these stories are loosely based on what actually happens at The Other Door. During the second quarter of 2016 we had 1,387 visits. 921 of these visits involved someone attending a recovery group. There were 176 meetings of either AA/NA, NAMI or Recovery Through Sharing. 64 persons attended The Other Door for the first time.
The Other Door relies on private funding from donors like you for operating costs. Without The Other Door these groups would need to find another place to meet, meetings would be scattered and inconsistent. Without The Other Door there is no place for those in recovery, those that are lonely, to spend the holidays. Without The Other Door, there is no place for persons to learn about resources in the community for those with mental illness, domestic abuse, substance abuse in a relaxed and casual environment. The Other Door does not charge a fee, we do not require or accept insurance. We are open to anyone who feels that they need to be there. You do not need to have a diagnosis, a therapist or a doctor to come to The Other Door. You just need to say “I belong here”.
We strongly feel that there should be a place like this in every community. But, we believe even more that there should be a place like this in our community. Please help us to keep the doors open in 2016.
