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In the NoCo
In The NoCo

The ‘paradise paradox’ affecting Colorado’s mountain residents

By In The NoCo,
Ariel Lavery, Erin O'Toole
Published April 18, 2024 at 5:35 AM MDT
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"Part of my job [as a barback] was to kind of hang out until they actually needed me," says Eric Turner, pictured on the left. "And the way they kept me there was to keep feeding me alcohol." Turner, now a certified addiction technician, was featured in journalist Ryan Spencer's in-depth reporting on the drug and alcohol epidemic plaguing Colorado's mountain communities.
Courtesy of Ryan Spencer and Eric Turner
"Part of my job [as a barback] was to kind of hang out until they actually needed me," says Eric Turner, pictured on the left. "And the way they kept me there was to keep feeding me alcohol." Turner, now a certified addiction technician, was featured in journalist Ryan Spencer's in-depth reporting on the drug and alcohol epidemic plaguing Colorado's mountain communities.

Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation when it comes to physical fitness. Perhaps that’s no surprise given how much there is to do in the outdoors. But when it comes to mental health, Colorado ranks in the bottom half of states, according to a 2023 report by Mental Health America. While there are a few reasons for this poor ranking, we’re going to zoom in on one factor that has to do with the culture of mountain resort life, and how it affects the people living and working there — alcohol and drug misuse.

Eric Turner plays guitar at a live Rock to Recover event in Silverthorne on Jan. 9, 2024
Courtesy of Eric Turner
Eric Turner plays guitar at a live Rock to Recover event in Silverthorne on Jan. 9, 2024

Eric Turner is one such resident who was surprised to find himself sucked into a culture of heavy substance use. “I thought that the focus would be more on physical health and emotional well being,” said Turner. He came to Colorado with the goal of “getting out in nature and focusing on those aspects and not so much, you know, hiking to the top of a mountain and pulling out a bottle.”

Today, Turner is sober and works as a certified addiction technician and founder of Rock to Recover, a non-profit organization that hosts sober music events. Turner was featured by journalist Ryan Spencer in a Summit Daily News story that investigated the drug and alcohol epidemic plaguing the mountain communities of Colorado. This story is part of a larger series by the publication called The Longevity Project.

Host Erin O’Toole sat down with Turner and Spencer to talk about the issue of substance misuse and why it's so prevalent in mountain communities.

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In The NoCo Ski ResortsRecoveryPublic HealthMental HealthDrug Use
In The NoCo
KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
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Ariel Lavery
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
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Erin O'Toole
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
See stories by Erin O'Toole