Musicares and Nuci’s Space
By Eric Martinez
Athens, GA
Denver, CO
Since spending a good portion of my musical life in Athens, GA (I live in Denver, CO and play in a band in Athens) I have learned a few things.
1. Where to eat on the cheap (Taco Stand and Little Italy).
2. Making the rounds downtown leads to some great music on any given night
(I randomly walked into a club and the Drive by Truckers were playing an acoustic show).
3. Most importantly if a friend asks for help with his or her drinking or drug problem there is only one place to go, Nuci’s Space. Nuci’s Space www.nuci.org is a non-profit resource center for musicians with services from addiction recovery, psychiatric services specializing in suicide prevention, medical and dental services, to equipment and practice space rental.
So naturally when a friend in Athens asked for help with his addiction to alcohol which was soon to take his life we went to Linda Phillips at Nuci’s Space. She was able to put my friend in the Musicares program www.grammy.com/Musicares (also a non-profit specializing in addiction recovery) and he was able to receive full in-patient treatment at no cost because he is a working musician. You do have to prove a certain level to your musical career but if you fit into that criteria you have access to emergency financial assistance, addiction recovery assistance, and other services. My friend is now in his second year of sobriety and really enjoying life.
Both these organizations work off donations and do a lot of good for a lot of musicians so if you feel the need please donate but more importantly if you or someone you know needs help with health, addiction or depression issues don’t hesitate to call.
Take care of yourself and each other.
Peace, Eric
www.ericmartinezmusic.com
www.bloodkin.net
