Local tree lot helps pave road to recovery

At the height of his addiction, a homeless Earl Curry locked himself in a public restroom and tried to cut his own throat.

"I was sawing at my neck with a knife and somebody saw me and called the cops, who took me to Providence Hospital. They ended up letting me go, but at that point the only end to the story that I saw was suicide by cop," Curry said.

The man in Curry's story is a far cry from the one that exists today, who can be seen this month sharing his experiences and confidently directing customers at the Pacific Northwest Adult and Teen Challenge tree lot on Hazelwood Road in Airway Heights. Curry has been a part of the Adult and Teen Challenge program for about 70 days and credits it with saving his life.

Adult and Teen Challenge is a faith-based program that primarily helps people facing addiction issues of any kind. The Pacific Northwest region has 11 campuses for men, women and young girls, and the one in Spokane serves men aged 18 to 65. The residential program is as structured as they come, with regular homework, Bible study and vocational training to help members reintegrate into society

The vocational training takes the form of the tree lot each December, as well as a pumpkin patch in the fall and other opportunities that teach members to work as a team again, development coordinator Jana Roberts said.

These business ventures are entirely staffed by people currently getting clean or those who have graduated and are now working for the organization as "interns." The program is able to provide 47 percent of its funding from the sales of its vocational training alone - during the height of the season the tree lot can sell up to 50 trees in a weekend.

"We want to change the perspective around addiction," Roberts said. "Every seven minutes we lose someone to an overdose, and more than 33,000 people die every year in the U.S. because of one."

With the opioid crisis reaching a fever pitch and news outlets and heath care organizations alike throwing around words like "epidemic" and "emergency," the topic has never been more relevant, especially on the West Plains and in Spokane County.

"I hate the word 'epidemic' but that's really what we're dealing with here," Roberts said. "I think the statistic is that deaths are rising something like 7 percent a year."

The program has the capacity for 50 men but currently houses 37. Three of those became addicts because they got hurt on the job and were prescribed strong painkillers by a doctor, Roberts said.

Program participants run the gamut in terms of lifestyle, family structure and occupation - some have families and children, some are homeless, some work in high-powered careers and some, like Curry, have served time in prison.

"I think I knew the whole time that I didn't want to be doing what I was doing, but as an addict you feel chained to a very small set of choices," Curry said. Curry was addicted to meth and heroin and at one point debated throwing himself in front of a moving train, but now says his focus is serving God.

The one thing that ties most program members together is that they saw few ways out of their situations, Roberts said. She estimates that 90 percent of participants were suicidal before taking the steps to change their lives.

The yearlong intensive program is certainly a commitment - one that many do not succeed in. About 20 men have graduated from it this year, but nearly five times that many didn't make it through. Participants are required to abstain from drugs, alcohol and even tobacco during the process and are not allowed access to any electronics.

"These guys can have conversations about how much rubbing alcohol you can drink before you go blind," Roberts said. "So they have to be dedicated to recovery and they have to want it."

The majority of Adult and Teen Challenge staff are graduates of the program, so they can relate to those who are going through it. And while participants may be surrounded by hundreds of Douglas and Nobel Firs, what they're actually working toward is something much bigger.

"It's not really about trees - it's about selling the idea of hope," Curry said, gesturing around him at stacks of towering pines. "For me, what has been important is the breaking down of stereotypes, the breaking down of this preponderance of people who think you can understand a person without actually knowing them."

Curry likes being able to share his experiences with others, whether that's at the tree lot or in meetings he's had with at-risk youth. He shares his story to teach people to reexamine their prejudices and to help others who struggle in a society that tells people they shouldn't be content with what they have, he said.

"There are a lot of people out there that are homeless, there are a lot of people out there struggling," Curry said. "It's important to me that those people have an opportunity for hope."

The Pacific Northwest Adult and Teen Challenge tree lot is located at 1502 S. Hazelwood Road in Airway Heights. Proceeds go to fund recovery programs.

Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.