News from Springs Recovery Connection
March 3rd, 2021
Springs Recovery Connection Mission
To strengthen the recovery community through peer and family support, public education and advocacy.
How Kindness Fits Into a Happy Life
We all know that it’s good to be kind to others. Kindness is an important virtue for sustaining relationships, which helps to build a trusting and cooperative society.
You may have also heard that kindness makes you happier and healthier. But what does that mean for you? What acts of kindness will make us happiest, and who tends to benefit the most?
A newly published review of decades of kindness research provides some answers.


Sex and gender differences in substance use
Women face unique issues when it comes to substance use, in part influenced by:
  • sex—differences based on biology
  • gender—differences based on culturally defined roles for men and women
Scientists who study substance use have discovered that women who use drugs can have issues related to hormones, menstrual cycle, fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. In addition, women themselves describe unique reasons for using drugs, including controlling weight, fighting exhaustion, coping with pain, and attempts to self-treat mental health problems.
March 6th: Black Balloon Day - Overdose Lifeline
On March 6, across the United States families and loved ones remember and celebrate the lives lost to overdose. This day has become known as Black Balloon Day. 
Black Balloon Day has become a national and international event, bringing awareness to overdose deaths. As with many things with the opioid epidemic, Black Balloon Day began with a family’s loss. Diane and Lauren Hurley began Black Balloon Day in remembrance of Greg Tremblay. Tremblay, a father of four, is the son-in-law of Diane and brother-in-law of Lauren and died of an overdose when he was 38 years old on March 6, 2015.
SRC Impact: Our Programs
Springs Recovery Connection has expanded! We are now offering:
  • Peer Coach Training
  • Family Support Program
  • Peers in the Emergency Department
  • Workforce Intern Program
  • Peers Behind the Walls
  • Specialty Courts
Lily Pond
Acrylic
-Jennifer Centric Moody
Green Cathedral
Acrylic
-Jennifer Centric Moody]
Autumn Splendor
Acrylic
-Jennifer Centric Moody
Artist in Recovery March 2021:
Jennifer Centric Moody

I have been a lifelong artist, both drunk and sober. I feared sobriety would ruin my artistry, but found that it enhances it. In turn, creating art enhances my recovery by providing meaningful focus for my life.

Addiction is a dead end. Drunk, I left a pile of uneven, unfinished work. Recovery is openness to life. Sober, I work consistently and finish what I start.

The need to create and share my creations with the world is deeply spiritual. I breathe in the Spirit which gives me the drive and the skill to paint, and I breathe out the visible form to touch others with what the Spirit has created through me.

-Jennifer Centric Moody
Would you like to be featured as a 2021 Artist In Recovery?
Email Elise Bergsten , SRC Volunteer, for more information.
Purpose in Life Quiz
What’s your purpose in life?
It’s a daunting question. But your answer may say a lot about your well-being. Studies link a sense of purpose to better physical and mental health. But your purpose isn’t just about you. According to researchers, a true purpose is one that is both personally meaningful and also makes a positive impact on the lives of other people—your family, friends, neighbors, city, country, or even the whole world.

Want to Participate in a Study on Opioids?
Your participation will help identify genes that protect people from opioid addiction.
We need participants who:
  • Have misused opioids (at least once)
  • Are African American or white (non-Hispanic)
  • Are age 18 or older
  • Live in the United States or Canada
Participation in the study involves:
  • A confidential 1-3 hour telephone interview
  • Providing a saliva sample for DNA
Participants who complete the study will receive a $75 gift card.
Recovery Hero: Patrick Gates
Hi, my name is Patrick Gates and I have been in recovery for three years. I am most proud of getting my family back and being able to live a normal life. A low point in my life was having no support around me and having no stable place to live. I could never hold down a job and was always depressed. Things have changed for the better though. Today, I am able to help people starting recovery while being a functional member of society. 
Do you know a Recovery Hero? We'd like to meet them.
Springs Recovery Connection's Updated Office Hours
Due to COVID-19 and regulations reinstated by the El Paso County Health Department, our office is now closed to all walk in traffic. Please call us for more information 719-465-2295.
Springs Recovery Connection
1930 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904