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A free community event in Wisconsin’s Northwoods is putting a spotlight on substance abuse recovery, with Tom Farley, brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, set to speak as the keynote guest.
The event reflects a broader push across Wisconsin to make recovery support and free rehab resources more visible in rural communities that often lack easy access to treatment information.
“Real Talk Recovery: Progress in the Northwoods” is scheduled for November 21 at Lake of the Torches Casino in Lac du Flambeau.
The event is free to attend and open to the public, with art activities, food, and presentations planned alongside the keynote talk.
Who Organized This Free Recovery Event
The event was organized by Bellinda Morey, an addiction counselor with her own history of substance use. Morey said she wanted to shed light on a problem she sees as more widespread in rural Wisconsin than many people realize.
“I toyed with every substance known in the book,” Morey said, describing her own past before she became a counselor.
She said isolation is one of the biggest obstacles both to substance abuse and to recovery in rural areas, noting that people navigating inpatient and outpatient treatment need consistent support around them rather than trying to manage it alone.
Morey reached out to Tom Farley, Chris Farley’s brother, to headline the event. Tom Farley has spoken publicly about his own experience with alcohol, distinct from the path that led to Chris Farley’s death from a drug overdose in 1997.
Both brothers spent childhood summers in northern Wisconsin, a connection Tom Farley described as central to his memories of Chris.
How to Access Free Recovery Resources Like This One
Free community events like this one are often an entry point for people who are not yet ready to search for formal addiction treatment but want to learn what support is available locally. For people in Wisconsin looking for no-cost or low-cost paths into recovery, options generally include:
- Community recovery events and support meetings, often free and open to anyone, including family members
- State-funded and sliding-scale treatment programs for people who are uninsured or underinsured
- Peer-run recovery organizations that connect people to local resources without requiring insurance
- The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357, a free, confidential, 24/7 service that can point callers toward local treatment options regardless of ability to pay
What This Means for Wisconsin Families
Events centered on shared, lived experience can be an easier first step for someone unsure whether their situation is “serious enough” for inpatient treatment, or for a family member trying to start a conversation about a loved one’s substance use.
Organizers say the goal of the November event is exactly that: creating a low-pressure, no-cost space where people in the Northwoods can learn what help exists before deciding on next steps.
Free Resources
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (free, 24/7, confidential)
- Real Talk Recovery: Progress in the Northwoods, November 21, Lake of the Torches Casino, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin (free and open to the public)
- Local addiction counseling referrals through community health organizations in northern Wisconsin
Rehabs.org lists free and low-cost treatment options nationwide, including programs across Wisconsin. Call
800-914-7089
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to talk through what affordable care might look like for you or a loved one.
