SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – For those struggling with substance abuse or addiction, the pandemic has added another struggle to an already difficult battle.
It’s why one organization in Scott County, ‘Breaking the Cycle Georgetown‘, is making sure those struggling know help is available.
Nikki Strunck is no stranger to the pain caused by drug addiction.
“As a mom who struggled with a son with addiction, my only son, there were a lot of times I felt hopeless and hopeless as a mom,” Strunck says.
Her son, Brendan, died from an overdose in 2016, and the guilt she felt only got worse.
She’s now strong enough to play the 9-1-1 call she made on the day her son died in hopes it’ll help people on the path to recovery. Eventually, she started her own journey.
“For a lot of years, my thought was I wasn’t the one with the problem, so I didn’t need to get help,” Strunck says.
Now, she tells family and friends to remember to care for themselves as well.
Strunck works with Spark Ministries, a non-profit that helps people struggling with addiction. She also established a bakery in her son’s honor called ‘Brendan’s Slice of Heaven.’ She says she hires people coming from recovery centers who are struggling to find a job.
People in Georgetown gathered Saturday in support of Strunck and others struggling with drug addiction.
The group ‘Breaking the Cycle” brings people together with a goal of helping them recover and letting them know they’re not alone.
“The message is hope,” Strunck says.
“A lot of us know how we got here,” says Brian Prather, a recovering heroin addict. “We have similar stories, but different backgrounds.”
He says he’s been clean for more than a year now.
“I’d experience enough pain,” Prather says.
He says working with ‘Breaking the Cycle’ has helped him by knowing he’s helping others.
“We focus on recovery and it shows people recovery is possible,” Prather says. “When we do it out loud, we do it in public; we show others that it’s possible.”
‘Breaking the Cycle’ also aims to provide resources to families seeking help in caring for a loved one struggling with addiction.
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