Living with an addiction is a serious burden but thankfully the Addictive Disorders Study (ADS) club is at Oxnard College to help anyone in the area in need.
Addictive Disorders Studies (ADS) club President Elizabeth Brooks and Vice President Jose Cuervo Sosa feel that companionship and support are what people need to aid in recovery.
“We’re not just a club, we’re a family,” said Brooks. “We began this club for many reasons, but mainly to give recovering addicts more resources and support.”
Starting out with only a website, Brooks also wanted to incorporate a type of Suicide Hotline for all those in need and wanted to bring together those interested in counseling or being counseled.
Sosa is a recovering addict who has been clean for over 5 years.
Both Brooks and Sosa explain that the loss of those they cared for due to an unhealthy addiction was a large push towards creating a club. Together they formed the ADS club, and asked Dr. Michael Webb to be their advisor.
Webb is an instructor for the Addictive Disorders class and a California Association of Drug Educators Board member.
“The club doesn’t just help students, but also the communities we work with,” explained Webb.
Professor William Shilley is the Founder of the Addictive Disorder Program and is also an instructor of ADS classes at OC. He is also a consultant to the University California San Diego School of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry.
ADS club member John Garcia, another recovering addict who has been clean for two and a half years, says that he became a part of the club after taking ADS classes and seeing how involved everyone is with one another.
“Being in the ADS class and club has allowed me to lend a helping hand whenever possible,” stated Garcia. “And I give back by participating in the events that helped me.”
Another club member and ADS student, Diane Trevino, an ADS major, says that Brooks really inspired her to participate in the club.
“The ADS Club has let me meet tons of people, attend events and get experience in the field of my major,” said Trevino. “It’s very fun.”
The motto of the club is “A Community of Concerned People”, and it holds over 260 members who gather together in hopes of helping themselves and others around them.
