MADISON RECOVERS: Aaron's House brings a lost dream to life

Note: The Madison Recovers series is looking at Madison's recovery community, including the increase in opiate abuse in Dane County, local treatment options for those in recovery, and growing initiatives aimed at combatting substance abuse in and around Madison. The first installment looked at the growing problem of opiate use in Madison. The second installment looked at efforts to build a community for recovery. Last week, we looked UW-Madison's approach to working with students in recovery.

When Aaron Meyer began to struggle with drug addiction at 16 years old, his parents looked all over the country for holistic in-patient treatment centers for young adults. Meyer's parents wanted to find a facility that would address not only the physical symptoms of Aaron's substance abuse, but also his emotional and mental well-being.

“Unfortunately he had to go all the way out to Oregon,” Tom Meyer, Aaron's father, says. “Ten years ago, I knew a lot of people who were sending their kids to therapeutic boarding schools in Utah, Oregon, and all over the country. There wasn't anything like that in Wisconsin.”

Meyer was looking for a treatment center that would target more than just the addiction itself; he hoped that if Aaron was living in an emotionally supportive environment, he would be able to get well.

“He realized he needed to be there and got himself on track with recovery,” Meyer says. “He did the work out there for 14 months, came home and was living the life of a young person in recovery.”

Aaron's success in recovery inspired him to start a community home for sober living. His plans were cut short when he was killed in a car accident at 18 years old. In order to remember his son, Meyer is continuing Aaron's dream, founding the Aaron J. Meyer Foundation and opening Aaron's House, a home for young adults in recovery.

“We didn't want to do something like plant a tree or a bench. We wanted to do something that would impact the world,” Meyer says. “We wanted to stay connected to Aaron by doing something that he would've wanted to do”

The house opened in 2007, and in the past few years, around 30 young men have lived in the community. Since then, the researchers have published a number of studies illustrating the success of peer-support communities, the importance of peer-support in the treatment of not only mental illness but also addiction, and the benefits that coincide with recovery housing.

“Young people who have a place to go and live with peers in recovery have a better chance of making it one day at a time,” Meyer says. “All that great work that they're doing with counselors can go right down the tubes when they go to their home and don't live in a supportive environment.”

Aaron's House is not a halfway house and has no specific programming or treatment facilities. House counselors focus instead on fostering a supportive environment, meeting regularly with the mentors to create an individual support plan that normally includes pursuing a career or higher education.

The house director connects residents with appropriate resources, from physicians to support groups, and while the young men are given the tools to succeed, they are still largely responsible for maintaining a recovery lifestyle. While Aaron's House residents come from a variety of backgrounds and locations around Wisconsin, they all share the drive and motivation to stay healthy and sober.

“The guys who thrive at Aaron's House are the ones who decided enough was enough,” Meyer says. “These are all good kids, and kids who come from good families. It doesn't matter where you come from, a drug's a drug and an addiction's an addiction.”

With seven men living in the house, individual connections are vital. Sober activities like Fourth of July parties and summer cook-outs keep the group active and social. Since its foundation, 30 young men have lived in Aaron's House, using the support system to find a normalcy and a rhythm for their lives. Meyer hopes to see that number grow, but is confident that the impact of each successful resident is far-reaching.

“One person who’s life is spiraling out of control in addiction has a mom, a dad, and a sibling or two. Then there's a grandma, a grandpa and an aunt or uncle. So let's say there are ten people who's lives are really stressed because of a young man's addiction,” Meyer says. “When you impact that many people there's a noticeable difference, and the conversation changes.”

While Meyer is excited to see Aaron's House grow, he also hopes to see the Madison build a reputation as a recovery community, with sober living alternatives available through student housing and in more areas around campus.

“Look at all these natural resources we have, and then look at the community assets: the wonderful health care system that we have around here, the bike trails, the hiking, the access to music and recreation,” Meyer says. “This is the place to go to school if you're in recovery. Madison, Wisconsin is a great place to get well and get smart.”