In the heart of rural Colusa County, a quiet revolution is stirring, led by yours truly. I'm Susan Wagenaar, and I'm on a mission to rewrite the rules of addiction-recovery.
From my small corner of Colusa, a rural community with fewer than 22,000 residents, I've utilized the incredible potential of the digital realm to reach out to more than 27,000 individuals in search of healing, support, and recovery.
Like the prophetic lyrics of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," AI and digital access are transforming the landscape of recovery.
Barriers to Recovery: Hard Truths
I often question if there's a deliberate effort to marginalize voices like ours. My associates and I believe there's a systemic bias at play towards critical thinkers operating outside of the traditional grant-fueled model, such as Colusa County Recovery has chosen to do; by championing technology, free resources, AI, online recovery communities and chat rooms to support thousands of people simultaneously.
It’s clear to us that the established system struggles to recognize the value of VIRTUAL RECOVERY or worse, they ignore it, despite impressive analytics, high engagement numbers, and its increasing influence in the recovery sector.
The Influence Of The Few
The stark reality I just described underscores the importance of re-evaluating internal biases. We need to address the pervasive issue of addiction in a comprehensive and inclusive manner, that does not favor only a handful of highly funded voices or stakeholders, but welcomes diverse new approaches, like virtual recovery.
Contributions should be assessed based on their impact, not solely on academic qualifications, titles, or grant funding.
Colusa County Recovery is at the forefront of leveraging technology, human connection, and AI to create a more accessible and inclusive recovery landscape. We believe that everyone, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, or any other aspect of their identity, deserves the opportunity to heal and thrive, no matter where they call home.
With the help of a dedicated team of volunteers and sponsors, we have created online sanctuaries where individuals can find solace, empowerment, fellowship, and the recovery tools they need to reclaim their lives. The success of Colusa County Recovery serves as a powerful example of what can be achieved through innovation, technology, dedication, and the indomitable human spirit.
Artificial Intelligence Predictions & Our Upcoming Podcast
AI projections suggest our online reach will exceed 50,000 by March 2025. We are not stopping there. We plan to launch a podcast that explores the underbelly of the 'addiction industrialized complex' and encourage a national conversation about how our leaders are allocating resources to address the escalating problem of addiction.
We will feature insightful guests, advocates, academics, authors, neuroscientists,
and online recovery influencers, who will share their unique perspectives, highlighting diverse recovery pathways, technologies, and emerging science. Together, we will expose the systemic problems within the addiction-recovery industry and advocate for meaningful change.
National Presence
Additionally, in fall of 2025, we plan to take all that we have learned through Colusa County Recovery over the past five years and launch a national 'virtual recovery' digital platform under a new name. Our goal is to spearhead a national recovery movement, an ecosystem, that supports innovation, open comunications, and upholds the core principles of diversity, inclusion, and equity at every level of the recovery process, so that no person is left behind.
And there you have it... the hard truths I've learned. But one thing I know for sure is, just like Sam Cooke sang all those years ago, a change is gonna come.
Best Always,
Susan Wagenaar
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