Generation Gone Good –
July 28, 2018 – For Lemke, a member of Young People in Recovery, he has been breaking free from the drug addiction that haunted his life for 20 years. He said one of the most empowering things is the freedom he has from constantly looking for his next fix. “That’s the number one thing on your mind, no matter what. When you first wake up, that’s the first thing on your mind,” he said. “First thing that I think when I wake up now is what am I going to eat for breakfast.” But while Lemke, Meredith and others may no longer be dependent on drugs or alcohol, they know there are others who still are grappling with that dependency, which is why Saturday’s celebration is also geared towards helping others break their own chains of addiction, which includes working on eliminating the stigma that will often keep people from seeking help. “A lot of them feel like they’re almost lepers being cast out,” Lemke said. “There is a way out,” Jeffersontown Police Major Brittney Garrett, the leader of the department’s Angel Program helping people fight substance abuse, said. “There is help and there are people who are living and thriving in recovery.” … “Somebody’s been through it,” Meredith said. “Somebody has been where you’ve been and we can take your hand and help you get to the other side, just like somebody did for us.”
