By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — The Claremont City Council heard from TLC Family Resource Center about the success they have had in helping those with drug and alcohol addiction get the help they need to recover and live a healthy life.
Dan Wargo, the recovery program manager at TLC, explained that two years ago the city was approved for opioid litigation settlement funding, and subsequently tasked TLC to address the opioid and substance abuse problem in the community. He thanked the city council for securing funding that has been provided for TLC to do their work, and said the results have been extremely promising.
Wargo uses his expertise, professional experience and personal accounts to address drug and alcohol addiction and help those who are looking to turn their life around. He knows firsthand how difficult it can be to get clean from drugs and alcohol as he has spent the last 13 years in recovery and acknowledged that if it wasn’t for putting in the work after the first month, he probably would have fallen back onto old habits. Programs have been devised to help those in recovery stay the course.
At TLC, most of the people on the team at the two recovery centers in Claremont and Lebanon have a history of substance abuse and have created a new life. They are now using that experience to help others out of similar problems, assisting them in entering recovery and making better choices.
Based on the community needs assessment, one of the biggest drivers found was isolation. He explained that people trying to kick an illness by themselves can be extremely challenging, and many can’t do it. The idea was to build up more of a recovery community.
It was also recognized that some people get set up with services but fall off the map due to a relapse or not having a good chance to get “deep in the weeds” and get help with the problem at hand. Usually if they have someone there for longer than a a month the success rate is high, but that first month can be extremely challenging for someone trying to get sober.
Another part of the assessment showed that there are often people coming into early recovery who stopped using and then have a feeling of “now what?” Wargo said TLC has worked to help people stick with their recovery journey.
As a result of these findings, TLC has created a variety of initiatives and projects. They have focused on building a community by hosting monthly events to encourage people in early or sustained recovery to do activities, have fun and lean on each other for support.
“Just because the drugs and alcohol are gone doesn’t mean that life will no longer be fun anymore,” Wargo said.
More than 560 people attended 11 events in 2024, with many of the events geared toward different times of year. This included a huge potluck for St. Patrick’s Day, as well as a recovery rally that had a huge turnout where there was free food and vendors showcasing substance use recovery resources.
“All those things, and everything in between, we’ve been doing,” Wargo said.
Wargo helped create the Recovery Engagement Incentive Program, as well. It is common that people will come to TLC with just the shirt on their back, as they have exhausted their resources. This will help people with gift cards whenever they come in. This might be an incentive to get them there, but once people start going more, they realize the value and that it is helping.
The result of the program was 133 people enrolled and 97 graduates, and Wargo said there was a huge uptick with 16% of engagements lasting more than the first initial month. Some, he said, are still with the program after two years.
Another aspect is increasing recovery capital averages, which is essentially identifying internal and external factors. Wargo noted that TLC helps people find support, assist with housing and transportation and other key elements in getting sober.
Wargo also created a seven-week program called “Mapping Our Recovery,” which helps people in recovery create a comprehensive recovery plan. This helps build a social network, pay off debts, get back into society and create goals. This is all done in the midst of a group, and participants get together and create a plan collectively. This has been done three times and there are a total of 31 graduates.
City Councilor William Greenrose asked what a graduation entails, and Wargo explained that it is a seven-week course where participants cannot miss more than one group session. If a session is missed, they will work with a recovery coach to keep the plan moving. When the seven weeks are done, there is a graduation ceremony where they will add to a “gratitude tree.” Graduates will write their names and what they are grateful for, and the more who attend the more the tree grows.
Councilor Bill Limoges commended the work of Wargo and TLC, saying he is happy to hear that there is a focus on assisting after the first 30 days to help them stay clean.
Mayor Dale Girard asked if the program will continue to run with the funds provided, and Wargo said there should be enough for two to three more years.
Wargo said TLC is providing 200 people with weekly support, which doesn’t even include the five groups hosting in the evening and outside groups in Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. Collectively between the Claremont and Lebanon sites, TLC is providing recovery support for 30% of the state.
“We feel like we have some pretty good momentum and feel like we’re making a pretty big difference. This funding is definitely helping us to have the freedom and to identify where the issues are and then find initiatives and projects to find solutions. We’re seeing that the solutions seem to be really, really working.”
