Today is Day six of the A-Z Challenge and also the day for the letter F. Today I am honored to bring you a special post about a special local lady, Lori Swadley a local photographer and owner of Swadley Studio who is making a difference in the lives of many of our locals who have recovered from alcohol and substance abuse with her project of 52 Addicts. Lori tells their stories through the eyes of a camera lens.Lori writes, Last year after reading headline after headline about our heroin epidemic here wanted to do something very special for our local citizens who were brave enough to tell their stories about
their personal battles with addiction. She calls her community project, 52 Addicts. The response she got for her project was overwhelming.
Lori's project 52 Addicts took on a personal meaning for her. She too has lost friends to this epidemic. In fact, thirteen of her friends lost their battle with heroin and addiction starting in 1998. Making this project more personal for Lori is that she hopes to help stop the stigma relating to this addiction to show that people do get better. They heal from this disease and they go on to become some very special people.
She hopes that those who seem to stand in the way waving their flags and posters of, "Not in My Neighborhood" will be able to look past the addiction to also see with the proper steps here, our locals can recover and go on to be outstanding citizens of our communities.
I recently had a chance to see her work on the project of 52 Addicts. I was moved by the pictures and their stories. She did a fantastic job of capturing their stories in the picture right along with them. I was so moved by this project that I contacted her asking if she would like to be part of my special April blog challenge.
Lori did a beautiful job on her project. I hope that you will check out her project 52 Addicts. All of these brave and courageous men and women she captured stories from are all celebrating recovery here in our community. These are stories of recovery, of hope and of healing. Those with substance abuse problems can and do recover. I hope you will stop by and visit. I feel honored to share her story and their stories today with you. Thank you so much for sharing your story with my readers today! Keep up the great work on your growing project! All who participated in your project are amazing people.
The one thing we want is for others to see people not for their substance abuse issues but that people can and do recover from the disease of addiction. They can lead normal and healthy lives and go on to do some of the greatest things. All of those you will read about in Lori's Project of 52 Addicts are living proof of that! All of you are amazing! All of you are hero's in recovery. You are the most bravest people I have met.
For more information on the 52 Addict Project check out her website @ Swadley Studio.
You can also email Lori @ lori@swadleystudio.com for more information. She is also on Facebook and Instagram. Check her out!
So, what did you think of Lori's project?
Credits for this post:
I hope you return tomorrow for a more controversial look at a pharma bubble that burst years ago but has not gotten the attention that it deserves. My post is, Generation Rx: A Look at The Silent Pharma Bubble
photo stories by Lori Swadley
pic from: Swadley Studios
Letter pic Blogging A-Z
© 2017 Gossip Girl
Great post. It's sad how people are often judged only by a wrong choice and then never given the opportunity to make better ones. It's good to see someone fighting the good fight against that-- and what a creative way to do so!
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