ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – September is Drug Recovery Month, and one local recovery center is working to help curb and solve the illegal drug epidemic in partnership with the city.

“I lost my son in 2011, and I never thought it could happen to me.”

Jennifer Burke’s son, Cameron, was a rising athlete, but when he received an unexpected injury, things took a drastic turn.

“Before he knew it, he was addicted to opiates, and ended up, you know, dying of an overdose after he became addicted to them.”

When Cameron passed, Burke worked with other families who had lost someone to addiction, and that’s how Serenity Mesa was created. Serenity Mesa is an addiction recovery center specifically helping young people recover and have a new lease on life.

“Fentanyl and drug abuse ties to crime and all the stuff that we’ve been seeing in the news regarding our city, and so, we’ve been really trying to work with other community partners to address that we work with young people, and there’s a lot of young people that are becoming addicted at younger ages.”

In honor of Drug Recovery Month, Serenity Mesa, alongside Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, is hosting the “Albuquerque Celebrates Recovery” event on Wednesday at Civic Plaza. It’s the largest recovery event in the city providing resources for those who are struggling with addiction or have loved ones who are.

“What we’ve seen is addiction is so widespread in this community now and in our state that you probably have a lot of people in your life that are struggling with addiction, and you probably don’t even know it.”

She said it’s one step closer to helping solve the issue in the city.

“Your loved one, they need you to be there to support them, and when they’re ready for treatment, you can’t force somebody to get sober, and you can’t force somebody into treatment. But when they’re ready, you know, be that person that’s ready and willing to drop everything and try and get them in a treatment program.”

The event is this Wednesday at Civic Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information on Serenity Mesa: About | Healing Addiction in our Community (healingaddictionnm.org)

For information on Albuquerque Celebrates Recovery: Home | Albuquerque Celebrates Recovery (abqrecovery.org)

For information of Addiction recovery services in the city: addiction_resources.pdf (unm.edu)