OneEighty’s Oasis Recovery Club Celebrates Its 15th Year
This past New Year’s Eve, OneEighty’s Oasis Recovery Club celebrated its 15th year of hosting people who are in recovery and/or respect the process of recovery together in a safe environment.
“We welcome adults, 18 years and older, into our Recovery Club,” said Deb Strickler, Peer Support Coach and Oasis Recovery Club Coordinator. “It’s not a fancy place, but instead a place where people in recovery can come, enjoy the camaraderie of others who are fighting the same fight, and who can offer words of encouragement found in a supportive, safe, non-triggering environment.”
“I liken it to a coffee shop,” Jill Adams, Outpatient Peer Support Supervisor added. “We have been able to create an environment where people want to come together whether it be for a board game, a football game, pool, or ping pong. Clients have access to computers, or they can come to participate in a 12-Step meeting or attend one of our special themed events. Whatever support they are looking for along their road to recovery, we try to make it available here at OneEighty.”
Clients Dream The Dream
The concept of creating a ‘recovery club’ began as the brainchild of two individuals in recovery who found it challenging to find meeting places where others working towards sobriety could congregate. Both Nate Walker and James Lemley brought the idea to Bobbi Douglas, OneEighty’s Executive Director, and the ball began rolling.
Nate and James spent three years fundraising by hosting cookouts and other special events to help raise the money needed to renovate the once warehouse space into what now looks like someone’s ‘people cave’ filled with inviting, comfortable furniture, game options, private talking space and a welcoming snack bar.
The Mission
Its mission, “To Create a Safe Place for People in Recovery” is even reflected in the name choice selected for this important resource yet offering more full-circle options for OneEighty’s community. Operating as a true recovery oasis, they have created a space where patrons can face their challenges head-on among friends using both fun and professional tools to build a better future.
With no membership fees, this appealing club allows people to see others re-entering a newfound social environment, immersed in recovery, and filled with new hope that can be fostered by peers and providers who have walked along their road. In fact, some 300 individuals utilize the space during any given month.
“When they come in, they’re happy to see a familiar face,” said Strickler. “I’ve been here 10 years, and I personally know the value of the safety this place provided me early in my recovery. When my daughter was in school, I was petrified to be alone in my home during the day worrying that I would drink. So, I hung out here during the day, and went home when my daughter was there.”
The Volunteer Component
Volunteer opportunities abound at the Oasis Recovery Club both for the community-at-large and its clients.
“Because my father was exposed to the trauma created by family members facing addiction, he volunteers here,” Adams shared. “Addiction impacts everyone in a family, and he wanted to help provide support for others seeking a new life.”
But the real opportunity can be found in the skills learned when a client volunteers.
“So often, those well on in their recovery are so grateful for the help they received along the way,” Strickler said. “We encourage them to volunteer at the club so they can get life experiences. Beginning with such things as filling out an employment application, an interview, operating a cash register, opening and closing a facility, and interacting with their peers in a supportive way are all tools that enrich their re-entry into their new world. Learning to trust themselves again is all part of recovery.”
Evidence-Based Programming One Option
So often people discover the Oasis Recovery Club when searching for meeting options for 12-Step programs. Most people prefer to come into an inviting, relaxed setting where they can openly work towards their goals.
“We very purposely set up areas with booths where a sponsor and sponsee from a program like Alcoholics Anonymous can speak privately and not be interrupted,” Strickler said.
Special Events Draw Individuals And Families Both
Too often, holiday celebrations provide a trigger for people in recovery. Themed special events surrounding holidays like Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and others find clients and sometimes their families enjoying the holiday spirit among friends.
An upcoming Super Bowl party offers football, food and camaraderie in a safe, trigger-free environment where clients see that fun is indeed part of the recovery process. Dances, pizza and painting night, jewelry making, and movie night are just a few of the other opportunities provided at the club.
Celebrations Of Life
Clients have felt so comfortable and welcome in the Oasis Recovery environment that they have chosen to celebrate personal special events at the club.
“I hosted my daughter’s 16th birthday party here,” Strickler said. “An engaged couple who were both clients held their wedding reception here. We’ve celebrated both life and memorials here together in an atmosphere of trust and caring. But most importantly, our people are surrounded in an environment of recovery. At OneEighty, we offer so much more beyond the walls of our Oasis Recovery Club. Our patrons share their successes and their challenges, and they discuss what programs have given them the greatest help along their journey. We don’t just tell them where they can go for additional support, we will walk them there.”
Hours Of Operation
Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday 10:00 a.m. –4 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
12-Step Programs
- Sunday 9:00 a.m. AA
- Tuesday 9:00 a.m. AA
- Wednesday 6:30 p.m. NA
- Thursday 7:30 p.m. NA
Want To Volunteer?
Stop into OneEighty and complete a Volunteer Application
Contact Deb Strickler at 330-264-8498 or email her at stricklerd@one-eighty.org
We’re Here to Support You.
We help people change direction with programs for addiction, domestic violence, rape crisis, mental health, housing, and prevention and education. At OneEighty, we actively support an evidence-based approach to sustainable recovery from trauma and addiction – restoring dignity and purpose, reimagining potential, and rebuilding lives. OneEighty offers counseling programs, intensive addiction treatment programs, group addiction treatment, residential services, victim services, recovery housing, and peer recovery.
OneEighty Resources
For those encountering a substance use crisis please call OneEighty’s Substance Use Crisis hotline available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year at 330-466-0678. For other resources, click the links below:
Community Relations & Prevention
Substance Use Treatment Navigator Hotline
Intimate Partner & Domestic Violence booklet (Wayne County)
Self-Help Legal Manual
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