Paint and recover: Art class offers healing hand

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10.COM) -- Art classes with a room full of beginners are meant to support and encourage. At Second Chance Opportunities, in Kristyn Logan's paint and chip class that support has taken on new color.

"I know what it feels like to feel hopeless and have no way out," said peer advocate Kristyn Logan.

The artists here, including Logan, all have one thing in common, they're all in recovery.

Adriana Rodriguez explained, "I was struggling with heroin, crack, molly, ecstasy. I was a garbage head. When I first tried it, it was a completely different experience I fell in love with it unfortunately."

While the path to recovery is rarely a straight line, Rodriguez found the support in the class, in a safe and sober environment. She said, "This class relaxes me to a point where we are all in here doing the same thing for same reason."

The monthly class, blends art into therapy. "When you are given canvass and some paints and you are around people just like you that understand. It's therapeutic," Logan said.

Debbie Meyer said, "You are relaxed focusing on something so your guard is down you are concentrating on something else."

Among the encouragement and giggles, you'll often hear people opening up as they find community in each other in their shared struggles.

Holly Hitchcock, one of the students said, "You don't realize how out of hand things really get,"

The lessons in art, mix their way into important life lessons. "She taught me mistakes are ok, you can learn from them and you can always work with it it makes it yours," Rodriguez added. "We are trying to learn new coping skills to deal with our daily life. And how to stay clean and sober and happy."

Lessons that help Adriana see the whole picture, her work a reminder of how far she's come in staying clean and what's on the horizon. "They are hung up in my room and first thing I think of is I did that and it's not perfect and that's ok," she said.

Rodriguez has been in recovery for 1 year and 5 months. The paint and chip classes are held every month. They are open to anybody in recovery and their family members. You can visit Second Chance Opportunities to find out more about their resources and Kristyn's art class.