Posted: Tuesday, October 04, 2011
(from OnlineAthens.com)
By JOE VANHOOSE
Students in the University of Georgia's School of Social Work are helping drug and alcohol addicts all over the state on the road to recovery.
What started as an Athens website for those who battle addiction now has expanded to Savannah, Atlanta, Macon and Augusta.
Students launched recoveryaugusta.org last month.
"It's a user-friendly site for people who think they may have a problem," said Donna Leigh Bliss, who teaches graduate classes on addiction at UGA and oversees the recovery website projects.
"We try to get them the information and help that they need. We've also seen other family members get help online for their loved ones."
The project started five years ago with recoveryathens.org, and students have launched subsequent websites for different cities every September -- that's National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Addiction is the nation's top health problem, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Millions are affected, though the exact number is hard to determine because many don't recognize the signs.
The recovery websites help. Each piles together different resources to help people in determining if they have a problem with addiction.
There are even tests on the sites for alcohol and drug abuse.
"We've had 1,453 visits since the (Athens) site was launched and 185 return visitors," Bliss said. "What that tells me is that it is a resource in the community and that people are using the information.
Maybe they help lead people to get treatment, she said. Or maybe a family member relays the information to a loved one.
"(The sites) are making a positive impact," Bliss said. "The nice thing about it is that it is the initiative of students that will impact the community long after they've graduated.
"I think it speaks volumes to the outreach mindset that our students have."
courtesy of the Athens Banner-Herald
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