Following the tragic death of her son Isaac to the opioid epidemic, Eve Goldberg decided to launch a nonprofit, BIGVISION, in NY to support and encourage young adults in their 20s and 30s, working to sustain their recovery. This is not an average program, their goal is to make sobriety exciting and fun. They host free, exciting events and experiences in a variety of safe, inclusive environments. We help young adults live a sober life through fun and engaging events and giving them the tools to get back to life post- treatment. “We are the authority on what a sober lifestyle can look like.”- Eve Goldberg
FWM: Take us back to your son Isaac’s accidental drug overdose.
My son Isaac passed away from an accidental drug overdose in 2014 at the young age of 23. Isaac was a beautiful young man, inside and out. As a young boy he struggled with OCD and high-anxiety, but he always persevered and became a great basketball player in high school, captain of the varsity and well liked and respected by his peers. In his senior year he started to experiment with drugs and alcohol and once he went to college it was downhill from there. He had been in and out of treatment and sober living, and then moved back in with my husband and I for about 6 weeks. He seemed on a great path, had a job he loved as a basketball coach, just got his own apartment, and never looked better. He always said he did not want to use again because he knew how quickly he would go to “that dark place” but sadly, he ended up using again. Early one morning, on my way to the gym, I looked in on him and heard strange breathing sounds from his room. He was unresponsive and we called 911 and they tried to revive him. He ended up in a coma for the 6 most horrific weeks of my life, till he finally succumbed to this horrific disease. Losing a child is the worst possible nightmare, one you never wake up from.
FWM: You launched BIGVISION in NYC to help young adults in recovery. Tell us about your organization.
I founded BIGVISION a year after Isaac passed away. One of Isaacs biggest struggles once he got sober was being able to sustain his recovery. He was so used to having fun while using substances that once he got clean, he did not know how to get back to life and have fun again. I found that this is what many young people early in their recovery experience. Anyone can go to treatment and get sober, but once they get out, what happens then? We are the missing link in recovery. Community and connection are vital to sustaining recovery and that is what we are all about. We help young adults live a sober life through fun and engaging events and giving them the tools to get back to life post- treatment. We are the authority on what a sober lifestyle can look like.
FWM: BIGVISION creates entertaining, engaging events, and community. Why are these areas so important?
In order to sustain recovery, a person needs to feel fulfilled in their lives. Oftentimes people use drugs and alcohol to fill a hole and once they are no longer using, they need to find other ways to live. They need to realize that they can have as much fun as they did before, only without substances. When Isaac was struggling to stay sober, one of the things that really helped him was physical activity. Whether he was playing basketball, or doing boot camp, working up a sweat and getting his endorphins going, he found a way to get a natural high, and that really helped him stay sober. We offer many activities including trapeze school, rock climbing, hiking, yoga classes etc, which is one of the elements needed to maintain a sober lifestyle.
FWM: What has been your proudest moment at BIGVISION?
I have had many proud moments. When I was given the Community Leadership Award from Caron, that was incredible. I felt such validation for all the work we have put into BIGVISION and to be recognized by our peers really felt amazing. I have always been in a for-profit business my whole life but was never recognized for work in the non-profit sector, so this was really meaningful for me. Isaac was a compassionate person that was always looking to help other people, and I feel that with BIGVISION we are continuing with his mission of helping others. This award felt like it was for Isaac and a beautiful way of honoring him.
FWM: “BIGVISION demonstrates that life isn’t over when you get sober- rather, the real fun is experienced in recovery.” Tell us more.
We say Life isn’t over when you get sober! It actually gets better. You can go out and enjoy yourself, remember what you did the next day, and feel great in the morning, with no hangover or residual effects of using drugs. After treatment it is so important to be able to get back to living a meaningful life and be able to find your passions once again. Also, every year, to honor Isaacs birthday, we host a basketball tournament for friends, family, community members and it is just a fun day where everyone can join together and experience what fun in sobriety looks like!
FWM: What are resources offered?
We offer an array of resources to help someone to navigate a comprehensive sober lifestyle: from calendars that share other interesting sober events to organizations that provide supplemental services to educational materials and other resources to help anyone to fill up and learn to use all of the tools in the recovery lifestyle toolbox that we help them assemble. Lastly, we help direct people to vetted and qualified treatment navigational resources if the need for clinical services arises.
FWM: Share your plans/initiatives in 2021?
We are looking forward to both getting back into a natural rhythm of in-person exciting events as more people become vaccinated, things open back up and the weather turns nicer and to also continue to scale out our virtual platforms to extend our reach anywhere in the world- with some exciting pop-up events across the country to spread the BIGVISION good vibes across the nation!
FWM: What can the community do to support your efforts?
We are a non-profit, and rely on donations to be able to support our mission, so obviously this is a very important way to help us. We also need volunteers, people who have expertise in certain areas and are willing to guide us, create new and exciting events for us, and work with our young adults helping them improve their lives. Lastly, we are always looking for recovery lifestyle ambassadors who can help role-model, represent and influence
FWM: Please share your social media links.
Facebook: BIGVISION NYC
Instagram: @bigvisionnyc
Twitter: @bigvision_nyc
