LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over 2,000 Kentuckians died because of a drug overdose in 2022. The sobering statistic comes from the Kentucky’s Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s 2022 overdose fatality report.

What You Need To Know

  • Drug overdoses killed more than 2,000 Kentuckians in 2022
  • A mental health counselor at New Leaf Clinic in Louisville says  it is common for those battling addiction to feel socially disconnected

  • Group settings in recovery can provide accountability and a space to be open
  • Programs and groups like those at Recovery Cafe and New Leaf Clinic want to help as many people as possible

JD Dotson is trying to help those in recovery through group sessions and physical exercise he provides at Recovery Café Louisville. 

“When I am physically fit and when I’m exercising and when I’m moving, It keeps me kind of, from thinking about other things or going down the wrong paths, like I’m not going to go out and get crazy and smoke a bunch of cigarettes because I know that I’m running a race in the morning,” Dotson said.

Now, the personal trainer and Recovery Café co-director is sharing his passion for fitness with people going through recovery.

The Café offers free memberships for people trying to turn their lives around after battling addiction.

Members have access to opportunities, including a peer support group, workout classes, and employment readiness training.

“The most important part is you’ve got a place that’s yours. It’s peer driven, it’s peer run, and it’s your place to hang out. It’s your place to find the people that love you and who want to see you succeed. And they will hold you accountable lovingly and then consider you family,” said Dotson.

He believes finding community is a key to recovery.

 Jhermel Holt is a mental health counselor at New Leaf Clinic in Louisville. She says it is common for those who are suffering from addiction to feel socially disconnected.

“Being able to come into a space where you don’t feel this uniqueness in terms of your suffering, but actually normalize that experience, you find others who either have a similar or shared experience with you really helps to sort of speed up the process in the sense of building new connections in a new community that can last,” Holt said.

Breehonna Johnson has been a client with New Leaf for about a month and says she hopes to inspire others by staying sober.

“If I can show somebody else that I can stay sober and teach somebody, that’s what I want to do. You see what I’m saying?,” Johnson said.

Johnson wants to help teenagers and children avoid drugs and addiction. 

“I actually want to like, do more volunteer work with the kids and teenagers and stuff like that, because I feel like that would be a good thing to do, you know, because, you know, the teenagers are getting into drugs,” she said.

Physical exercise and group sessions are a few ways Dotson is giving back and helping friends and family to not lose their battle to addiction.

He said, “I just don’t want to go to another funeral of somebody that I love when it could be prevented. You know, I don’t want to have friends that don’t feel supported and don’t have a community.”

Both Recovery Café Louisville and New Leaf Clinic work to provide a space to those who want to better their lives.

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