For years, Rachel S. of Niagara-on-the-Lake spent her life in a battle against drug addiction — in her own words, “living to use and using to live.”
“If you can name it, I’ve done it,” she said.
Now, nearly two years sober, she’s bringing Narcotics Anonymous meetings to NOTL in hopes of helping others find the same path to recovery. She credits the program with saving her life.
Although Narcotics Anonymous groups exist throughout the Niagara region, Rachel, whose last name is being withheld in accordance with the organization’s anonymity policy, said she’s lived in NOTL her whole life and wanted to offer something local.
“I wanted to bring something like this to our community,” she said. “No town, no matter how pretty it is, does not have addicts suffering.”
For Rachel, the initiative is personal.
She first attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in 2023, where she introduced herself by saying, “I’m Rachel and I’m an addict.” It was the first time she had ever admitted it — even to herself.
“I never believed I was an addict until (I went to a meeting),” she said. “I knew I was in a bad position and I knew I was not going anywhere. But until I went to a meeting and people admitted it, it was the first time I admitted it to myself.”
A professional photographer, Rachel said her drug use escalated after a fire destroyed her home and photography studio in 2018.
She had experimented with drugs in college and was an occasional user, but after the fire, her mental health deteriorated and substance use became a way to escape.
“I hit rock bottom and had nothing at the end,” she said.
An overdose — and being revived with Narcan by her then-partner — became a turning point. She reached out to her friend Belinda M., who was in recovery through NA and became her sponsor. Belinda brought Rachel to her first meeting.
Belinda has now been sober for five years.
Rachel has remained clean since Nov. 28, 2023, and hopes to give back by creating access to meetings in NOTL for others who may be struggling.
“By the time I was one year clean, I knew that we needed to have meetings in NOTL,” she said, adding there’s clear demand for it.
A post about the group on the Niagara 411 Facebook page received 287 likes and 97 shares as of Wednesday.
Currently, Rachel drives a “carload” of people to NA meetings in Niagara Falls. She said there’s already strong interest in attending meetings closer to home.
“Some people don’t drive, we don’t have the best bus transport system,” she said. “It’s important that we have something here.”
She also noted that visiting tourists who are in recovery often ask where they can find a local meeting to support their sobriety while away from home.
Hosting meetings in NOTL is also part of Rachel’s own healing journey. She now has the Narcotics Anonymous logo and her sobriety date tattooed on her forearm and collects milestone tags marking her clean time.
“Just to see the things that have changed in my life, like my living situation, my financial situation, my work situation,” she said.
“Everything’s changed. I look back to two years ago and think, ‘I don’t recognize that person anymore. I don’t know who that girl was.’”
Belinda is proud of how far Rachel has come.
“She’s done all the work from there,” she said.
Rachel hopes others will have the same transformative experience.
“You never know what ‘aha’ moment you’re going to have in a meeting,” she said.
The new Narcotics Anonymous meetings in NOTL will begin Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at 222 Davy St., in the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Hall. Meetings will continue weekly on Mondays. They are free and open to anyone seeking recovery.
Founded in 1953, Narcotics Anonymous offers a 12-step program to support individuals recovering from drug addiction. Meetings often include shared experiences and readings focused on maintaining sobriety.
