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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, November 28,2018
Former addict helps center treat teenagers’ opioid abuse
Austin Steele DCN Regional Staff
Avery Nix, marketing coordinator at Eagle Overlook
Recovery for Adolescents, speaks during an interview in
Dahlonega on Nov. 15.
By Nick Watson
DCN Regional Staff
The broken arm from a skate
board accident, the first hit of
morphine or Oxycontin.
As Avery Nix works as the
lead outreach for a new recovery
center targeting substance abuse
in adolescent boys, he has pon
dered how his own story may
have changed.
“When this came up, that was
one of the first things that came
to my head was: I wonder what
this would have looked like if I
was 16, 17 years old. I wonder
what could have happened if I
found something like this. Could
it alter the course? Would it have
broken up the cycle a little earli
er?” Nix asked.
Nix, who has shared his recov
ery journey with the Partnership
for a Drug Free Hall and was
featured in The Times’ pod
cast “Back to Life,” is now work
ing as the marketing coordinator
for the Eagle Overlook Recovery
for Adolescents in Dahlonega.
Eagle Overlook Recovery
became operational in
September and held its grand
opening Oct. 12
On more than 50 acres, it’s a
no-cellphone, no-distraction resi
dential center for boys ages
13-17. Nix said the primary
focus is substance abuse disor
ders while specializing in co
occurring disorders like depres
sion and anxiety.
While his business card says
marketing, Nix will also be able
to lend a hand with the boys who
enroll in the program.
“One really cool aspect about
working with adolescents is that
I am able to reach them on a
level of ‘I know exactly where
you’re coming from.’ I’ve been
there. I’ve walked in similar
issues,” Nix said.
Nix’s story started at 12 when
he broke his arm and the rush he
got from the morphine. At 15,
that same rush came from his
first dose of Oxycontin, a brand
name of the opioid oxycodone.
Years later, he would be
revived after multiple hits of nal
oxone, the opioid overdose anti
dote. Nix’s family was told he
wouldn’t survive.
Now approaching his fourth
year clean, Nix still has a hand in
the newly minted Jeffrey Dallas
Gay Jr. Recovery Center, named
after the Gainesville man who
died in 2012.
“Avery is a wonderful addition
to Eagle Overlook Recovery for
Adolescents, not only as our
marketing coordinator, but as an
inspiration to adolescents who
are just beginning their recovery
process,” said Eagle Overlook
Recovery’s clinical director
Cindy Armstrong. “He models
our philosophy, and his enthusi
asm, warmth and personal story
will help others in their recovery
journey.”
With an in-house chef cooking
three times a day and an activity
room holding a ping-pong table
and comhole boards, the sum
mer-camp feel belies the rigid
structure for those in the pro
gram.
“A typical day consists of
study time, group therapy, psy
choeducation, structured or
expressive activities and relapse
prevention classes. Individual
counseling, introduction to self-
help groups, recreational activi
ties and appointments with the
medical director are also part of
the schedule,” according to the
treatment center’s website.
And of course, no cellphones.
Nix said the strategy is letting go
of distractions and learning again
how to disconnect and have fun.
Nix recalled his teenage years
spent trying to keep up with his
peers.
“I was creating an identity cri
sis with myself, and I never
could meet the mark. That’s
where a lot of my insecurities
came into play, because I had
this vision of what I thought
things should be ... which is
what I saw online,” he said.
Regarding the choice for only
boys, Nix said the statistics
show male adolescents report
ing a higher rate of substance
abuse than their female coun
terparts.
The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services
Administrations published sur
vey results in 2015 showing
10.7 percent of boys 12 and up
reported substance dependence
or abuse compared to 5.7 per
cent of girls in that age range.
“We recognize that there is
not a lot of female adolescent
resources, so that’s why we’re
trying to make the steps mov
ing forward to be able to pro
vide that resource for the
female population,” Nix said.
The complete guide to buying a Christmas tree in Dawson
Brian Paglia DCN Regional Staff
Buck Spence examines a tree on Tuesday, Nov. 20,
at his Big Johns Christmas Tree lot in Lakeland
Plaza.
By Alexander Popp
DCN Regional Staff
With Thanksgiving in
the rearview mirror, fami
lies across the county will
engage in the early holi
day season tradition of
picking out and bringing
home a Christmas tree.
From the fragrant
Fraser Fir to the silver
Blue Spruce, in the next
weeks, thousands of trees
will soon be making their
way from farm, to car
rooves, to homes all over
Dawson County.
If you are starting to
wonder where your year
ly tree is going to come
from this year, the DCN
has compiled a list of
local tree farms and lots,
as well as tips and tricks
from experts on how to
pick the right tree and
keep it healthy this sea
son.
Picking a tree
According to the
Christmas Tree Care
guide from the Kinsey
Family Farm, there are
several important things
to keep in mind when
picking a quality tree
from a lot or farm.
The guide states that by
picking a tree with the
right qualities, your tree
can have a long lifespan.
They suggest picking
either a cut-your-own-tree
farm or pre-cut tree lot
where trees are kept out
of the wind, sun and have
been in water at all times.
The guide states that a
tree dropping brown nee
dles is not necessarily
indicative of an unhealthy
tree. They say that the
only way to be sure that
your tree is healthy is to
give it the “fresh test,”
grabbing a branch about 6
inches from the end,
squeezing and pulling the
branch through your
hand.
“If you end up with a
handful of green needles
the tree is beginning to
dry out, and that’s not a
very good sign,” the
guide states. “Ideally you
will come away with
either no or relatively few
green needles.”
The guide states that if
a tree has started to dry
out or has not been drink
ing water consistently, it’s
possible that sap will
have hardened in the base
of the tree, leading to fur
ther dehydration.
When picking a tree
from a cut-your-own
farm, local farms suggest
preparing to buy your tree
by measuring the space it
will live for the next
month and visualizing
just how big of a tree
your home can handle.
“Trees out in the open
sky look smaller than
they actually will be,
when you bring them
inside your homes,” states
the Kinsey Family Farm
website. “It is deceiving
... believe the heights
listed on the tags.”
Caring for your tree
at home
According to Division
Chief Jason Shivers of
the Forsyth County Fire
Department, caring for a
Christmas tree properly
can mean the difference
between your family’s
safety and potential
disaster this holiday sea
son.
More than a month
separates Thanksgiving
and Christmas, and
according to Shivers in
2
Voting Schedule
For the General Election Runoff of
December 4. 2018
Voter Registration Deadline: October 9th (new and changes)
Advance Voting: Nov 26-Nov 30, 2018 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm
At Board of Elections office- 96 Academy Ave
All Polls will be open Election Day from 7:00am-7:00pm
1) WEST precinct- at Fire Station #6 on Hubbard Rd.
2) CENTRAL precinct- at Board of Elections office,
96 Academy Ave
3) EAST precinct- at Fire Station #2 on Liberty Drive
(next to Tractor Supply)
If in question about your voting location, and/or to
view a sample ballot you may visit “My Voter Page” at
http://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp or call the
Elections and Registration office at 706-344-3640
:
:
:
(No voting on Monday prior to all elections)
that time trees can grow
dangerously dry.
Dry Christmas trees
can burn from the bottom
up, Shivers said, reducing
whatever room it’s in into
an inferno in seconds.
“So you’ve got to use
some precautions and
common sense when you
put that tree out,” he said.
For live Christmas
trees, the National
Christmas Tree
Association publishes a
guide to caring for your
tree once it’s home.
According to their guide,
taking care of your tree is
all about using the right
amount of water, place
ment in the home and
using the right tree stand.
Their guide states that
stands should provide 1
quart of water per inch of
stem diameter. It also
states that drilling a hole
in the base of the trunk or
adjusting the temperature
of the water does not
affect water uptake.
“Check the stand daily
to make sure that the
level of water does not go
below the base of the
tree,” the guide states.
Trees should be placed
away from sources of
heat like fireplaces, heat
vents and direct sunlight,
according to the guide,
because they can increase
the rate at which a tree
dries.
The guide also states
that a tree should fit in
the stand without the
trunk being removed or
cut into a V shape.
“The outer layers of
wood are the most effi
cient in taking up water
and should not be
removed,” according to
the guide.
Where to get a tree
Bottoms Christmas
Tree Farm
Where: 5880 John
Burruss Road, Cumming
Hours: Monday
through Friday: 3 p.m.
until dark; Saturday: 9
a.m. until dark.
Contact: (770) 889-
5235 or (706) 429-3173;
bottomstreefarm.com
Price and size: Between
4 and 13 feet, $8 and
$14per-foot
Bradley’s Pumpkin
Patch
Where: 25 Fawrence
Drive, Dawsonville
Hours: Monday
through Thursday: 3 to 6
p.m.; Friday and
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6
p.m.; Sunday: 1 to 6 p.m.
Contact: (770) 380-
3636; bradleyspumpkin-
patch.com
Kinsey Family Farm
Where: 7170 Jot Em
Down Road, Gainesville
Hours: Monday
through Friday: noon to 7
p.m.; weekends: 9 a.m.to
6 p.m.
Contact: (770) 887-
6028; kinseyfamilyfarm.
com
Holly Hill Christmas
Tree Farm
Where: 276 Woodland
Fane, Dahlonega
Hours: Tuesday
through Saturday: 10
a.m.-dark; Sunday: 1-5
p.m.
Contact: (706) 864-
8222
Price range: $30 to $60
for cut your own cypress
or pine trees
B .L. Mullinax
Landscaping &
Shrubbery
Where: 1886 Peachtree
Parkway, Cumming
Hours: Monday
through Saturday: 8 a.m.-
8 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m.-7
p.m.
Contact: (770) 781-
9823
Big Johns Christmas
Trees
Where: 503 Fakeland
Plaza Road, Cumming
Hours: Daily from 9
a.m. to 10 p.m.
Contact: 706-429-8614,
bigjohnstrees.com
South Forsyth Baseball
Christmas Trees
Where: 585 Peachtree
Pkwy, Cumming
Hours: Starting Nov. 23
at 11 a.m. until trees are
completely sold out.
Contact: southforsyth-
baseball.bigteams.com
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
POST AWARD HEARING
The County of Dawson will hold a PUBLIC HEARING on
December 6, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. atthe Dawson County Government
Center, located at 25 Justice Way, Dawsonville, Georgia 30534,
in the Assembly Room, on the Second Floor, accessible by an
elevator, for the purpose of discussing the approved activities of
the County’s Community Development Block Grant. On October
10, 2018, the County was awarded a grant in the amount of
$750,000.00 to the construction of a new Senior Center facility.
Items to be discussed at the hearing include:
• The amount of funds received and a description of the activities
• The amount of funds available for each activity and the amount of
funds that will benefit low-and moderate-income persons
• The plan, if applicable, to minimize or prevent displacement of
persons and the plan to assist persons whom may be displaced
• Fair Housing laws and the County’s plan to further Fair Housing
• Language Access Plan (LAP)
The Public is invited to this Hearing to become informed of the
project activities.
The County of Dawson is committed to providing all persons with
equal access to its services, programs, activities, education and
employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
family status, disability or age. For a reasonable accommodation
and/or alternative format or language, please contact the County
ADA Coordinator, Jeff Bailey, at 706-344-3666 extension 44514 or
by email at jbailey@dawsoncounty.org.