The road to recovery started when Emily realized she had an addiction to heroin – and the price was great.
“Before coming to Aspell, I left behind a litte boy, and a lot of my family … I was lost, broken (and) I didn’t know how to keep a job – I never had a job,” said Emily, who was introduced by only her first name, “I was a full-blown heroin addict when I came here.”
Where Emily came was to Aspell Recovery Services, which dedicated The Kirkland House, a new women’s dorm, Thursday.
The 3,800-square-foot Kirkland House, located at 119 McCowat Street, provides accommodations for 12 women.
“I went through the program in 2019, and completed it,” Emily said, “I wasn’t ready at the time – I just wasn’t ready for these (Aspell) people to love me. It cost me in the end. I left and relapsed (and) ended up losing my boyfriend to a heroin overdose, so my sobriety date is very important to me – it’s the day he died.
“The next day I chose to come back to Aspell … it’s where I needed to be.”
She has reconnected with her son, now age 6, and she has gotten a drivers license and her first car.
Named for Carl and Alice Kirkland, The Kirkland House became an idea during a conversation between Richard Barber and Dr. Ron Kirkland during the opening of another new facility – Life House – at Aspell Recovery Center.
Barber is the executive director of Aspell Recovery Center and Ron Kirkland is a board member and a cousin of Carl.
Ron Kirkland told Richard that Carl and Alice wanted to help with a facility – which would become The Kirkland House.
“The popular opinion is, people don’t want to get clean, and I don’t know how we got there,” Barber said, “I am so thankful this community supports Aspell the way you do, and (it) allows us the opportunity to help those people.”
Founded in 1979 by two recovering alcoholics, Bob Aspell and Charles Gay, Aspell Recovery Center is a substance abuse treatment center – alcohol and drugs – where residential and outpatient treatment plans are available – as well as transitional housing.
(PHOTO: From left, Aspell board member Les Jaco, Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris, Carl Kirkland, Peter Shannon, community supporter of Aspell and Richard Barber at The Kirkland House)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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