The United States has been fighting a drug epidemic for decades. According to the CDC, the number of drug overdoses has significantly increased since 1999. From 2018 to 2019, even though heroin-involved death rates decreased by 6%, opioid-involved deaths increased by 6%, and synthetic opioid-involved deaths increased by 15%. Although the government keeps throwing money toward drug addiction and recovery, the problem doesn’t seem to be going away. After losing 13 people to addiction-related deaths, a Lexington, Kentucky restaurant decided to focus on giving employees a second chance. DV8 Kitchen is a restaurant and bakery staffed 100% by recovering substance users.
Second chance employment
According to its website, “DV8 Kitchen was developed and operates as a second chance employment opportunity for people who are trying to redirect their lives. People in the early stages of substance abuse recovery often find it difficult to find employers willing to take a chance on them.” It’s working. The company opened a second location to give more people a chance to thrive. Other restaurants and employers can learn from them through training and modeling. DV8 Kitchen isn’t just changing recovering substance users, but they’re changing the restaurant industry by teaching those working in it how to combat addiction.
How big is the problem?
A recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that 20.4 million people aged 12 and older experienced substance use disorders in 2019. Another 2.1 million people in the U.S. suffered from an opioid use disorder related to prescription opioids. Employment is an important part of recovery. Studies show that individuals who are employed are less likely to have parole violations and criminal activity. There are higher rates of abstinence from substance abuse when a person is employed. Recovering addicts often face many hurdles in finding employment, from criminal history to scheduling conflicts with treatment, and poor work history. Being employed significantly contributes to a positive quality of life and helps individuals transition from addiction treatment back into the community.
Help those in recovery
Rob Perez, one of the founders of DV8 Kitchen, a 501c3 organization, says, “if every American business decides to hire one person that only wanted a job, but really needed it, we could make a massive difference in this country.”
