The 25-year-old musician was once an up-and-coming rapper, playing clubs in New York City and making a name for himself.

But when he took the stage on a Saturday afternoon at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach, it was the first time he performed in over a year. And the first time he’s ever performed sober.

Wirth, and his burgeoning music career, took a detour in 2020 that eventually landed him in Palm Coast. 

“I started drinking too much,” he said. “And that became more important to me.”

 It took a while for Wirth to come to that realization, but once he did, he sought help.

“There’s a huge stigma that comes with alcohol abuse,” he said. “I thought I had to be a 62-year-old living under a bridge.”

And it’s that stigma that brought Wirth and hundreds of others to Veterans Park on Sept. 18 for Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services’ inaugural National Recovery Month Festival.

The event was designed to build community awareness around substance abuse disorders, according to Pam Birtolo, executive director of Flagler OARS.

“Part of our goal is to bring recovery out of the shadows,” she said.

Birtolo, who is in recovery herself, said the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery prevents many people from seeking the help they need. But she’s seen a change over the years.

“The kids don’t have much of a problem bringing it out into the open, and the more we do that, the more people will recover.”

Around 35 exhibitors attended the event, each one providing a service for people suffering from addiction.

Birtolo said Flagler County offers a lot of services for people looking to stop using drugs or drinking alcohol, but the festival was an opportunity to put all of those services in one place.

This year’s National Recovery Month theme is “Recovery is for Everyone,” which serves Flagler OARS quite well.

“We honor and respect multiple pathways to recovery,” Birtolo said. “Some people follow total abstinence, some still drink, some are in Alcoholics Anonymous, some are in Narcotics Anonymous. We celebrate and honor all of that.”

The event kicked off at noon with a yoga class and continued through 8 p.m. with live music and stories of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

Exhibitors included drug and rehabilitation centers; transitional and recovery housing; Focus on Flagler Youth; Flagler Cares; One Love Yoga; Care Connect; and more.  

Kim Carney, Flagler OARS board president, said when the local recovery community heard about the festival, they worked hard to make it happen.

“These people want to be loved. They want to come out, they want to be part of a community,” she said. “Once they get the chance to connect, they are remarkable.”

Wirth, whose lyrics share his story of recovery, has no regrets about starting over in Palm Coast. He made the move in July 2020 after spending 30 days in rehab. He entered Palm Coast Transitions, a sober living house for people in recovery. 

“I was only coming for two months, but I decided to stay,” he said. “I love it here.”

He credits the facility with getting him back on his feet and for introducing him to a strong support system of people in various stages of recovery. 

“I had to learn how to redo everything sober,” he said.

He said he made strong connections with his housemates — a “brotherhood,” as he described it.

“I had a nice group of guys to do fun stuff with without having alcohol,” he said.

After six months in Palm Coast Transitions, Wirth got his own place. And his Realtor’s license. 

“I’m so grateful to be an alcoholic,” he said. “Today I wouldn’t have what I have without it.”

Local drug overdoses and the availability of Narcan

Narcan also had a booth at the event and provided free doses of the overdose-reversal drug.

Carney said carrying Narcan should be as commonplace as learning CPR.

“I believe it should be in every house and carried by every person,” she said.

Carney said she has doses in her home, even though opioid addiction isn’t present.

“You just never know,” she said.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of the nearly 71,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019 involved an opioid. Opioid drugs include prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin; heroin; and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain reliever.

Fentanyl is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or to disguise the drug as highly potent heroin. This has posed a threat to drug users for years. 

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Between March and July, 148 people died from drug overdoses in Flagler and Volusia counties. That’s a 54% increase over the 96 drug overdose deaths during the same period in 2019, data from medical examiners’ offices shows. 

Local health-care systems also have observed a sharp increase in non-fatal overdoses.

Nationwide, drug overdose deaths rose 30.9% in 2020, according to preliminary data compiled in August by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About Flagler OARS

Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to  removing the stigma of substance use disorder through education, advocacy and peer support services to individuals and families affected by addiction. 

The local branch, one of 12 in the state, started in October 2019 with a grant from the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association. The all-volunteer organization was up and running in April 2020, just as the COVID pandemic was shutting everything down. 

But instead of putting services on hold until the pandemic eased up, members went full speed ahead.

“We could have circled back (after COVID), but we had a lot of committed people,” Carney said.

So like most organizations, they began offering programs through Zoom, such as Lunch & Learns and educational pieces, Birtolo said. 

Carney said the organization met its strategic plan goals this year and is working on next year’s goals. 

For information on services, visit flagleroars.org.

Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services is a 2-year-old nonprofit that provides peer support services, public education on substance use disorder, community outreach and policy advocacy

Shaun Skelton stood against a palm tree at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach. He was shirtless, displaying tattoos on his arms and torso, and taking in the sites at a Sept. 18 festival.

This festival was put on by Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services to build awareness for National Recovery Month.

Skelton said he attended the event to connect with others who are taking positive steps toward recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse.

“You meet more people who are recovering,” he said. “It’s like gazelles. The ones on the outside are picked off by lions. The ones on the inside thrive.”

Skelton said he has been in many recovery programs over the years and hasn’t been able to stop using. He said he is currently participating in a program through Palm Coast Transitions and has a sponsor through Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Now I’m 30 days clean,” he said. “I really can’t put a price on recovery. Addiction has taken everything from me. My kids. My freedom.”

The event was a fund raiser for Flagler OARS with 33 booths in addition to musicians, speakers and a food truck.

Booths ranged from numerous recovery centers and treatment programs to other health-related programs to business such as a yoga studio and a landscaping company.

“Everybody here who has a booth serves people in recovery in some shape or form,” said Flagler OARS Executive Director Pam Birtolo. “Maybe people in recovery go to yoga. Maybe people in recovery use Flagler Cares services. It’s a whole array of mostly social services and some business that serve people in recovery.”

Flagler OARS was founded in 2019. It was the 12th recovery community organization in Florida, and now there are 30, Birtolo said.

She said there are about 12,000 people in the county who are currently in some stage of recovery and Flagler OARS is one of the organizations assisting them.

“Our mission is public education, policy advocacy and peer support,” she said.

Through grants and gifts Flagler OARS was able to hire certified recovery peer specialist Danielle Moye-Auriemma this year.

Birtolo said as a recovery community organization, at least 51 percent of Flagler OARS’ board of directors and staff are required to be in recovery. Of its 10 board members, six are in recovery, she said.

While on stage Moye-Auriemma told the festival goers that she is recovering from a 10-year addiction.

“I was afraid to seek help,” she said. “But so many people in my life supported me and helped me believe I can do this, and that’s what it takes. If anyone is struggling with alcoholism or addiction, what you need to know is there is help.”

Moye-Auriemma provides peer support, life coaching and counseling. She visits the Flagler County jail and provides support to people getting out of jail or out of rehab.

The festival was created to not only build awareness for Flagler OARS and recovery avenues available in the county, but to educate the public on what substance use disorder is, Birtolo said.

“It’s a disease of the brain,” she said.  “It’s no different than any other disease. There’s a lot misunderstanding about that.”

Birtolo said Flagler OARS does not provide clinical treatment but helps support people in whatever recovery path they decide is best for them.

“Some people don’t believe in total abstinence. Some people just stay away from the drug that they abused,” she said. “Some people do total abstinence. Some people do NA, some people do AA, some people do different faith-based things and some people do their own thing. We believe in all pathways to recovery.”

Flagler County’s Recovery Community Organization, Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (OARS), will host its inaugural National Recovery Month Festival on Saturday, September 18, at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Flagler Beach from noon until 8:00 PM. This year’s theme is “Recovery is for EVERYONE: every person; every family; every community”. The festival event includes live bands, recovery speakers, food trucks, NARCAN distribution, area recovery partners and exhibitors … all coming together to celebrate recovery in Flagler County.  

“Our entire community is impacted by substance use disorder which includes legal drugs, illegal drugs, and alcohol. Over 12,000 people in Flagler are in some stage of recovery, and about half the families here are affected by relatives and friends with substance use disorders,” said OARS Executive Director Pam Birtolo. “We are a free resource for peer support, public education and policy advocacy.”

Pam and Danielle Moye-Auriemma, OARS Certified Peer Support Specialist, are both passionate about helping the recovery community because they are living recovery, and they know it works.  “In 2021 OARS has helped create new opportunities, as we connect individuals and families in recovery to needed services and current education,” explains Danielle.

Faces and Voices of Recovery, FAVOR, sponsors National Recovery Month in September every year. They encourage local communities across the nation to join in. This festival demonstrates that recovery works in Flagler County. OARS encourages all families and friends to participate and learn more about our mission, enjoy the music, and celebrate recovery in our community.

Bring a yoga mat if you want to participate in an easy stress free yoga class at the beginning of the festivities and bring a lawn chair to sit back and enjoy music the rest of the day.

For more information about the event, or how to become involved with Flagler OARS, please contact Pam Birtolo, (386)569-4310, pambirtolo@me.com or link to #flagleroars.

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Flagler OARS’ mission is to provide education, support and peer services to individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder. Founded in 2020 by concerned citizens in Flagler County who want to make a difference and who believe “Recovery is for Everyone!” For more information or to pick up free NARCAN, our office is located at 4750 East Moody Blvd, #220, Bunnell, FL  32110; 386-233-3444.