Sponsored
For restaurant and bar workers who worry they cannot afford to step away from a shift, free addiction support can be the difference between staying stuck and finding a way forward.
In Atlanta, a chapter of the national group Ben’s Friends is offering exactly that: no-cost peer meetings built for people in the food and beverage industry, as reported by CBS News Atlanta.
Ben’s Friends provides free peer support and has more than 40 chapters across the country. The Atlanta chapter is helped along by Jonah Jacobson, a sous chef at Pricci in Buckhead who has been sober for five years.
He described how quickly things unraveled during active addiction, including losing a job, and how recovery gave him a sense of belonging he had been missing.
Who Ben’s Friends Is For
Co-founder Mickey Bakst, who has been sober for 43 years, said the industry’s culture makes alcohol and drugs easy to reach and hard to walk away from.
That environment is why a group aimed specifically at food and beverage workers matters. Anyone in the industry is welcome to attend, and the Atlanta chapter meets Mondays at 11 a.m. at Pricci on Pharr Road.
Peer support like this is free, which removes one of the biggest barriers people name when they avoid getting help. You do not need insurance, a diagnosis, or money to attend a meeting.
How Free Peer Support Fits With Treatment
Adam Mauk of Edge Treatment Center in Roswell told CBS News Atlanta that peer groups such as Ben’s Friends often work best after someone completes an initial inpatient or outpatient program.
He noted that many workers talk themselves out of that first step because they feel they cannot take time off. His point was blunt: putting anything ahead of recovery can cost you that too.
The encouraging part is that free and low-cost options exist at every stage, not just peer meetings. If cost is the wall standing between you and care, there are ways over it.
How to Access Free and Low-Cost Care
Start with what you can reach today. Check whether your state’s Medicaid program covers addiction treatment, since Medicaid pays for a wide range of services in most states, from outpatient counseling to inpatient care.
Ask local clinics about sliding-scale fees, which adjust the price to your income so care stays within reach even without insurance.
Look for community nonprofits and faith-based programs that offer free groups, and dial 211 to reach a local resource line that can point you toward nearby options.
Veterans may qualify for VA or TRICARE coverage. And a peer group like Ben’s Friends can be a same-week starting point while you sort out longer-term care, so you are not waiting alone in the meantime.
Finding Affordable Treatment in Georgia
Free and low-cost help is out there if you know where to look. You can search free and low-cost treatment centers near you, confirm Medicaid coverage for addiction treatment in Georgia, and connect with peer support that costs nothing to join.
Rehabs.org lists free and low-cost treatment options nationwide so cost stops being the reason you wait. Call
800-914-7089
(
Sponsored)
to get started with recovery today.
More Articles Like This
