It’s been nearly two months since they organized, but a group of young people looking for ways to safeguard themselves and one another from the temptations of drugs and alcohol is going strong.

Sitting in a circle at Rational Alternatives, the dozen or so young people that gathered on a Thursday in October talked about video games and teased one another about their skills, or lack of skills.

But the laughter subsided as they introduce themselves, and it becomes clear this group is made up of special individuals who are on a journey that they say must include being sober. As they take turns giving their first names, they also tell why they are a member of SAFE 1825: “I am an addict,” “I am an addict and alcoholic,” “I am an alcoholic.”

The name of the group is an acronym for Sober Adults Finding Entertainment. And despite the good-natured joking between themselves and their mentors, from 5-6 p.m. on Thursdays, SAFE 1825 draws together young people, ages 18-25, who take themselves and the group seriously.

“You’ve got to want to be here,” says Garrett Segars. “You have to be working on recovery.”

And while they first introduced themselves with just first names, they later tell The Journal that they are proud to have their names associated with this group. Segars was joined at this meeting by Taylor Nelson, Chad Cook, Bubba Swenson, Bill Stenberg, Matt Cameron, Nathan Spotts, AnnaMay Warren, and Bobby Gaines.

None of the members of SAFE are ordered by court to attend, though some at this week’s meeting listed their addresses as Pineview Recovery Center in Littlefork and one said he was living in the Koochiching County Jail.

The group is guided by Pam Bechik of the Koochiching County Community Services and Gus Christianson of Rational Alternatives.

Just a little more than a month after the group presented its mission statement and plans to organize to District Judge Chad LeDuc during a session of Koochiching County Drug Court, members are working on their second fundraiser that will help pay off a debt incurred in producing and selling t-shirts and other items that proclaim the group’s identity.

The group encourages the community to attend a chili feed from 4:30-7 p.m. Saturday at the Alano Club in International Falls. An earlier fundraiser gained about $550 and saw donations from area businesses and individuals. Once the bills are paid, the money will go into an activities kitty and pay for group outings.

The community support means a lot to this group.

“It’s great to be recognized for something positive,” said one young man.

They call their meeting place and group a “safe haven” because it offers a break from the peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol.

Still-using friends, they say, have a difficult time accepting their sobriety and instead attempt to draw them back into use.

“I know there are people out there that want us to fail,” said one young man. “They can’t accept that I want to stay sober.”

“Misery loves company,” relates another.

They tell of former friends who have broken into their homes and stolen things from them while they served time in jail.

Nearly all the members of this group have known one another for years and have had a common interest — partying. But now, they remain friends, but with a new interest — finding sober activities and encouraging one another to remain sober.

Asked where they would be if they hadn’t become involved in SAFE, the answers were given in earnest.

“I’d be back in treatment and miserable,” one man said.

“I’d be doing drugs,” another said.

“I’d still be in jail,” added another young man.

“I’d probably be dead,” concluded one member.

“For a lot of us, this was the last straw. Next is jail, prison or death,” said another.

A young woman added that dealing with the peer pressure is the toughest when just out of treatment. “People bug you to use,” she said.

One soft-spoken young man says he just recently found out he will be a father and another member shows an ultra sound photograph of the 2-inch fetus on his phone. Being a father makes being sober more important, he said, adding that he hopes his girlfriend remains sober after giving birth.

He notes that he came to SAFE 1825 on his own, “and it’s been awesome ever since.”

Another young man says he had his first clean urine analysis in 11 years. He’s been using drugs since he was age 11.

He encourages the use of urine analysis as an option for members of SAFE.

“It’s not to get somebody in trouble, or make them feel bad,” he explains. “But to break you down to be honest. To break yourself down and then build you up with a brand new, clean slate.”

The group’s mission statement says relapses or “slips” are accepted as part of recovery. However, the group stresses abstinence from drugs and alcohol.

“We are a peer-drive group striving for peer help,” the statement says.

After the Thursday SAFE 1825 meetings, several members not only attend, but a couple lead, a 12-step recovery group in the community.

“It’s fun,” said one of the group’s leaders. Another added that the young leaders have made the meetings more enjoyable for older people attend the meeting.

Asked whether he’d ever used his leadership skills before, he said he had — as a drug dealer. “Now I can use my leadership skills for good,” he explained with a broad smile.

Giving back to a community that has given these members breaks in the past is important.

Some visit and encourage friends still in residential treatment facilities. One young man says going back to Pineview as a visitor keeps him humble and sober.

This group wants to reach out to people younger and older than the 18-25 age for which SAFE was created. Talk of volunteering at a recently started homeless project gets the entire group brainstorming. Ideas about starting a group for users age 13 and 14 — when many of these young adults began using — gets them enthused.

“Nothing ever clicked for me,” says one young man, “until now.”

If you go:
WHAT: SAFE 1825 fundraiser
WHEN: 4:30 - 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Alano Club; 410 Fifth St., International Falls