Alternative Avenues

Alternative Avenues is a Harm Reduction Support Space for people looking for an alternative to abstinence focused support.

When: Wednesdays at 5:30 PM ET

Where: This is a hybrid meeting that’s held over zoom and in person at Thrive for Change office (see calendar for details).

About This Space

Written by Ashley Rosser – Harm Reduction Educator and person with lived experience

We know that recovery is a vast spectrum which can fluctuate for each of us. Depending on where we’re at in life, what we feel like, and what our goals are, our recovery can always change. Finding what works for you as an individual can be challenging with all the information that is consistently coming at us, from everything we see on social media and the things we hear from the people we have around us. It can be difficult to filter out what works, what doesn’t work, and what’s worth trying.


On top of this, there’s also a layer of social pressure we feel from our peers. Whether it’s said out loud or not, it can affect our ability to identify what our needs are and be honest about them, ultimately limiting our confidence to try new things. Finding what works for us is a deeply personal process, there is no one thing that can work for all of us. It takes time, curiosity, and an open mind to find what feels right.


This is why we decided to create Alternative Avenues, a Harm Reduction support space where we can do exactly this – find what works. Whether you want to make changes to your relationships with substances, learn new methods of maintaining your recovery, explore new pathways, or just come to socialize, this is for you. By allowing you the space you need, the environment to feel safe with no expectations, no pressure to make decisions, and the soundboard to speak your needs, we can support you in whatever feels right for you today.

About The Facilitator

Our facilitator Paige has lived experience with substance use and implements a harm reduction approach in her 5+ years in recovery. She is passionate about connecting people to care and ensuring people have access to the support they need.


Paige grew up in Lake County Ohio and has been doing harm reduction work for several years. This started in 2021 while working at Thrive Peer Recovery Services on the outreach team with Ashley and Bethany. Around the same time, Paige also acquired her peer support certification.

This passion comes from a desire to prevent others from experiencing the harms she faced when navigating treatment and surviving the system of body brokering in Florida. In addition to her knowledge of harm reduction, Paige has incredible people skills and she is looking forward to developing relationships with our participants and partners in the community to enhance Thrive for Change’s impact.
Contact Paige at [email protected]