In third year, Pittsburgh Recovery Walk offers support amid opioid epidemic

A free gathering that promises dignity and inspiration for recovering addicts will return Saturday to the Golden Triangle.

More than 2,000 people are expected for the third annual Pittsburgh Recovery Walk, which kicks off with live music and speakers about 8:45 a.m. at 11th Street and Waterfront Place in the Strip District.

Walkers will follow Penn Avenue toward Market Square, where more presenters will share their stories of rehabilitation from drug or alcohol abuse. The family-friendly, regional event — with face painting and dancing — blends celebration with education and guidance for recovery.

“Those of us who are personally affected, and as a community, we simply cannot be silent about these issues anymore,” event coordinator Jess Williams said Monday. “I think we’re seeing lots more people come out and want to talk about their connections [to addiction] because they understand that’s a key part of devising solutions.”

Allegheny County saw 735 fatal overdoses last year, a record as the region combats a national opioid epidemic.

The Recovery Walk promotes more open conversation to encourage life-saving treatments, humanize addiction and undercut its stigma. Participants may “come away with a bigger understanding of the struggle and the hope associated with recovery,” said Ms. Williams, of the nonprofit Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions, Downtown.

IRETA and the office of city Councilman Bruce Kraus organize the walk, although planning involves a host of groups. Health care giant UPMC is a primary sponsor. Dozens of organizations will join in Saturday, many offering activities and educational booths.

The Duquesne University School of Pharmacy is among them. It’s partnering with the Allegheny County Health Department to share information about naloxone, which can reverse overdoses. The school also will discuss medication-assisted treatments, assistant dean Janet Astle said.

“We want to make sure people understand that addiction is a disorder of the brain — it’s not a moral failing,” she said. “By doing that, we hope to eliminate some of the stigma surrounding the illness, because people are reluctant to get help a lot of the time because of the stigma.”

Duquesne pharmacy students will hold signs along the walk route to illuminate substance-use disorders. Sharing stories is “a means to [an] end for people who are actively struggling” with addiction, Mr. Kraus said.

He started drinking at age 12 and took his last drink on July 9, 1988, he said. Resources at the walk will expose kids to “having open and healthy conversations about drugs and alcohol,” he added.

“If I was actively experimenting with drugs and alcohol at age 12 in 1966, you can only imagine the exposure of children under the age of 10 who are actively experimenting with drugs and alcohol in 2018,” Mr. Kraus said.

He will host a special council meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to focus on addiction. It will be held in council chambers at the City-County Building, 414 Grant St., Downtown.

Details about the recovery walk, including optional sign-ups in advance, are available at www.pghrecoverywalk.org. Registration and check-ins on Saturday will begin at 8 a.m. at 11th Street and Waterfront Place. Anyone can participate.