Quitting the substance is often just the tip of the iceberg for people who’ve struggled with addiction. “When you get into recovery, you have burned so many bridges and so many relationships, it’s isolating,” said Lisa Retezan, founder of WayMakers to Recovery, a new organization with a physical location opening in Forest Lake.
Retezan recently received a grant from Washington County opioid settlement funds to build WayMakers to Recovery, which offers peer recovery specialists who are trained to help someone struggling with addiction become ready and willing to seek treatment, explore their options, improve access to medication-assisted therapy, and offer guidance post-treatment. WayMakers will open July 14 in Forest Lake across from the High School at 255 Highway 97.
Aside from various levels of support for people struggling with addiction or embarking on recovery, WayMakers will also work to educate the public, policymakers, and service providers on the many options for recovery while also advocating for policy change at a local, state, and federal level to remove barriers to recovery.
The organization is something Retezan wished she had when she began her recovery journey in 2018. She recalled drinking alcohol for the first time when she was 15 years old. “After that first drink, I was like, this is what I was missing my whole life. I was always very anxious, but this was the first time I felt comfortable in my own skin,” Retezan recalled.
Her drinking continued into adulthood and wasn’t just during celebrations, but instead, became an everyday necessity.
“By the time I had my second son, I couldn’t get out of bed without taking a shot of vodka every day,” Retezan recalled a suicide attempt that she considers both the best and worst day of her life.
“Afterwards, I spent a couple of weeks in the psychiatric unit. Being in your 30s and not being trusted with your kids at home is humbling.”
Retezan said she took her recovery very seriously. “I did everything my counselor in residential treatment told me to do.” And yet, there were a lot of questions and areas to navigate that felt overwhelming for Retezan, who said the start of recovery is a fragile time with decisions including picking between residential treatment or outpatient treatment, navigating mental health options, and trying to figure out what insurance covers.
Retezan says WayMakers is designed to do just this, the heavy lifting of navigating health and mental care for someone in recovery and struggling with low energy, focus, mood, and clarity. She says helping others who are where she has been is the driving force behind the creation of her non-profit.
“I loved being able to be that person for others, to support someone at such a pivotal moment.”
WayMakers is committed to providing individuals with the resources, connections, and support that are crucial for creating a life with meaning and purpose to thrive in recovery.
To learn more about WayMakers to Recovery, go here or call 651-707-4131.