Liberatory Harm Reduction & Decolonized Recovery
Peer Support
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
-an Aboriginal activist group in Meeanjin
Yarrow Collective offers liberatory harm reduction peer support groups. These groups are for people who use drugs and need support but may not be seeking recovery or abstinence.
Many of us have experienced the continued discrimination, judgment, and other harmful stigma that is associated with drugs. We acknowledge that the war on drugs is in fact a war on people and that this war is alive and well. In an effort to combat this war we need to come together to support one another. This is a space where we can speak openly about our unique experiences without judgment, and where we ask for consent before offering advice or solutions. It's a non-clinical space where facilitators have lived experience with drug use. We are not here to save or change you but rather to acknowledge, support and accept each other as we are. We hope that group participants gain the knowledge and resources to Risk Less and Live More! Free drop in space, acudetox provided, and snacks!
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Risk Less, Live More
Liberatory Harm Reduction Group
Wednesdays, 10-11am
Murphy Center
242 Conifer Street, Fort Collins, CO
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1st & 3rd Fridays
Housing Navigation Center
870 28th St, Greeley, CO
Free to attend.
Snacks provided.
Spanish language translation available upon request.
Traducción en Español a peticion.
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Questions? Contact: maggie.medrano@yarrowcollective.org
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Decolonizing Recovery with the Yarrow Collective
Decolonizing Recovery
Decolonizing Recovery with the Yarrow Collective
Standard recovery focuses on stopping drug use. The idea is that if drugs are the problem, then abstinence from drug use is the solution. From this perspective, there is little room for a relationship of any kind with drugs. Coercive treatments, criminalization, punishment, and being labeled an at-risk person are tied into the dogma of this model.
Decolonized recovery views drug use and pathways to recovery differently. If drugs are actually a solution for people to live through pain and struggles, then new questions arise:
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What if drug use is only one piece of a much larger picture of your life?
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How do we connect to our whole selves – mind, body, spirit, and land – not just the most wounded part of ourselves?
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What if it’s okay to be exactly who you are and where you are in your recovery journey, regardless of whether you are using drugs or not?
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What if our relationship with substances can change and evolve over time, and that’s actually okay?
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What if you could strip away all the pieces of standard recovery that don’t fit for you and create your own sacred path of recovery to walk?
Self Discovery Recovery Groups
- This isn't just about abstinence; Redefine what recovery means to you
Many of us have faced ongoing discrimination, judgment, and the harmful stigma tied to not adhering to the traditional treatment and abstinence-based recovery models. We recognize that recovery is not a one-size-fits-all journey, and each of us defines our recovery in our own terms. We encourage one another to reconnect with our culture and communities—whether that means returning to ancestral practices, re-establishing a connection to the land, or exploring other healing modalities. This is a space led by facilitators who have lived experience navigating non-traditional recovery journeys and where we can openly discuss alternative recovery paths without fear of judgment. We are here to understand our unique relationship with substances and to support one another in discovering what recovery truly looks like for each of us. Dr. Gabor Mate says “What does it mean to recover something? It means to find it again. So what is it that people are finding? They are finding themselves.”
Wednesdays 12:00-1:30pm
409 Mason Court, Suite 129
Fort Collins, CO 80524
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More info: maggie.medrano@yarrowcollective.org