Saving Lives: How One Former Addict is Giving Hope to Those in Recovery

When Karen Chrapek thinks of her work with Volusia Recovery Alliance, Inc., her favorite aspect is the “ability to save lives.”

A recovering addict herself, Chrapek’s role as the executive director at the nonprofit is focused on offering community support to individuals and families navigating substance use disorder challenges.

One of the alliance’s most successful outreach programs has been its NARCAN kit giveaways. NARCAN is an over-the-counter nasal spray that can be used as a life-saving measure for an opioid overdose. Over the last several years, the nonprofit has distributed over 25,000 NARCAN kits.

Chrapek recalls a powerful story of the necessity of NARCAN availability in Volusia County.

Karen Chrapek

A recovering addict friend had returned to use after years in recovery. He had gotten hurt and ended up on pain medicine, which triggered his substance abuse disease.

“He overdosed in his driveway,” she says.

Luckily, she had given him NARCAN several months before the relapse. Luckier still, her friend had passed along a kit to his neighbor. The neighbor found him in the driveway, released the NARCAN into his nasal cavity and saved his life.

Knowing overdose “hot spots” helps Chrapek and her outreach team distribute the life-saving treatment where it’s needed most. Her team has also shown over 10,000 individuals how to handle an overdose response.

“We have a big partnership with the sheriff’s office,” says Chrapek. “We get a lot of information on overdose hot spots from them. Law enforcement partnerships are a big part of breaking the stigma of overdose.”

The alliance also has an outreach committee to distribute NARCAN at various events; the team passed out 4,000 NARCAN kits at the recent Rockville Concert series.

As a recovering addict, Chrapek understands how easy it is to slip into regular drug use and isn’t shy about telling her story if she believes it will help someone.

At 11, she stole her aunt’s cigarettes. Then, she progressed to drinking as a teen. As a young adult, knee pain took over, and an orthopedic doctor gave her opioids for pain management.

Add in an obsession with being thin, and Chrapek fell into a spiral of self-destructive behavior that included the use of alcohol, cocaine and opioids atop an eating disorder. She nearly overdosed but called to say goodbye to her brother-in-law, who was a paramedic, and he arrived in time to save her life.

“It started slow and got progressively worse,” she admits. After meeting her second husband, a Vietnam vet with undiagnosed PTSD who was also a drug user, Chrapek made it her mission to “save him” by showing him into recovery.

In that process, she recovered, too. Since 1982, she’s been sober.

Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood

“Karen is an amazing human being,” says Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood, who has helped her organization secure funding each year. “Her personal experiences, her trials and tribulations — into addiction and out — are amazing. Her passion and compassion for those suffering from the disease of addiction knows no bounds. She has made herself and the alliance a force to be reckoned with.”

In addition to offering NARCAN to the community through various partnerships, recovery resources allow the nonprofit to help addicts restore their lives. The alliance provides online recovery support groups, recovery residences, inpatient treatment, printable resources and more.

Breaking the stigma of addiction discussions is a huge part of what Chrapek hopes the Volusia Recovery Alliance brings to the community.

“Sooner or later, every human being needs help with something,” she says.

Chrapek says she wants all — including first responders — to know the doors are wide open for recovery support.

As for plans, Volusia Recovery Alliance has partnered with the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce to start a “Recovery Friendly Workplace” initiative. The goal is to help support employees in recovery by offering valuable resources and educational tools to keep clean.

“The Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative raises awareness and illuminates the vital role employers and business owners play in the journey of individuals recovering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD),” says Barbara Ann Heegan, president and CEO of Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce. “I commend the dedication of Karen Chrapek for her unwavering support for people seeking and in active recovery and to minimize the stigmatization of access to resources. This RFW Initiative has forged and leveraged wonderful community partnerships. Together, we exemplify the power of collaborative efforts in fostering a supportive environment for those on the road to healing.”

For more information about Volusia Recovery Alliance, visit www.volusiarecoveryalliance.org or call 386-777-7337.