Lost in the weeds of our city’s marijuana legalization and the accompanying proliferation of cannabis shops are the on-going, heroic efforts by tens of thousands of young, recovering New Yorkers to stay substance-free.

The smell of marijuana seems to be everywhere these days, and at all times. A morning rush hour wait on a Manhattan subway platform, for example, was recently interrupted by giggling high school students taunting each other with whoops of, “Skunk! Skunk,” a reference to the pungent scent of the pot they’d just smoked.

NOHO, Manhattan (PIX11) — A New York City program called BIGVISION is helping hundreds of people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction maintain their sobriety.

BIGVISION offers free classes and events to help create friendships and community. A workshop in NoHo is helping young people who are in recovery learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, with lessons from a top chef who also dealt with addiction.

In 2013, United States Congressman Ritchie Torres, who represents New York’s 15th district in the South Bronx, became New York City’s youngest elected official at age 25 and the first openly gay person elected in the Bronx. Torres, who recently announced he will be running for re-election, has also been an outspoken advocate for mental health.

A nonprofit group is pushing to give New Yorkers who have gotten sober a fighting chance at finding and maintaining a new social life, which can be one of the most difficult challenges.

Seven years later, I am haunted by the questions: Was I complicit in the death of my child? Was I guilty of not being a good parent? People always tell me what a great parent I was. But was I? Why did I give birth to two children and now have only one?

Following the tragic death of her son Isaac to the opioid epidemic, Eve Goldberg had big dreams to keep his legacy alive while helping other young people struggling with addiction, and hence, BIGVISION was born.

Bobbi Brown may have stepped down from her billion-dollar namesake cosmetics company three and a half years ago, but she has hardly stopped working.

Sober Groups Help Recovering Addicts Meet Up To “Have A Blast In Sobriety”

A Mother Honors Her Late Son by Helping Addicts Have a Little Fun