BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jordan Poyer shared that he has been hearing from thousands of Bills fans, ever since he first opened up to them about his journey to sobriety over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Bills safety wrote a moving post on Instagram to celebrate one year of being sober. He said he drank almost every day after the Bills playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January 2020. After attending three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he was able to get help from friends and family to quit drinking.
Poyer ended the post by saying in part, "If I can overcome the struggle of alcohol, so can you. I didn't want you all to know this about me. I'm writing this because I know others struggle out there as well."
He also offered to be personally available to people for questions and support, which lead to an outpouring of responses from his followers.
Lindsay Herndon, Associate Vice President for Outpatient Services at BryLin, says seeing people come forward and get real about addiction can be a game-changer for others with substance use disorders.
"I think the more we normalize seeing help, the better off we are going to be," she told 2 On Your Side. "Substance use is still hidden. It's still something that is a problem, and nobody wants to acknowledge as much that they have a problem with that. But having these individuals come out and say I did it, and it was amazing because it helped me, that can be the motivation somebody might need in order to manage their own use and get out there and get the help they need."
Here is a list of resources Herdon recommends for anyone interested in seeking help for alcohol addiction:
- BryLin Substance Use Outpatient Clinic
531 Farber Lakes Dr. Williamsville, NY 14221
716-633-1927
Offers services to ages 13-100
Family Group (currently offered via telehealth): Monday evenings at 6pm, run by a licensed counselor for anyone to gain information on services, explore how to go about approaching loved ones, or how to cope if someone close to you is using substances. - BryLin Mental Health Clinics (Adult and Child and Adolescent)
531 Farber Lakes Dr. Williamsville, NY 14221
716-632-5450
Currently utilizing telemental health and in-person services for counseling and psychiatry services. - BryLin Acute Hospitalization (Inpatient)
1263 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14209
716-886-8200
Other Options:
- ECMC at 462 Grider St. - 716-898-3471
- Horizons at 291 Elm St. - 716-854-2444
- First Step in Niagara Falls - 716-285-3421
- Hotlines and Websites:
- Addiction Hotline - 716-834-7007
- Mental Health Crisis Hotline - 716-834-3131
- Alcoholics Anonymous: BuffaloAANY.org
- Narcotics Anonymous - NAWNY.org