Since he was 11 years old, Scott Smidt smoked marijuana to escape depression. But now, 10 months after he was arrested for selling marijuana to an undercover police officer, Smidt has found a new outlet for his anxiety: art.

The 42-year-old Lincoln man was one of about a dozen local artists recovering from drug and alcohol addiction to display their artwork or perform Sunday afternoon in a celebration of Arts in Recovery at the Auld Recreation Center, 3140 Sumner St. The event was organized by the Nebraska Recovery Network, which supports people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Photographs, sculptures and paintings sat on tables surrounding the room, while bands played and people read poetry.

Smidt displayed the drawings of dragons and skulls he sketched on envelopes while in prison. He also brought poems and 3D creations of trucks and cranes made out of matches. They take up to 45 hours to build, he said.

Rand Wiese, a member of the Nebraska Recovery Network, said he hopes the event will show the community that there are talented people in recovery.

Plus, it's fun, he said.

"It's kind of like Woodstock without the drugs," Wiese said.

Ron Namuth, who also works with the Nebraska Recovery Network, said he hopes Arts in Recovery, attended by more than 150 people Sunday, will become an annual event.

"We want to give people in recovery an opportunity to give back," Namuth said. "It's important that they go out and talk about it."

Paige Namuth, director of the Antlers Center, 2501 South St., an organization that provides drug and alcohol treatment, said she has seen art help many people recover from addiction.

"You can paint your way well. You can write your way well," she said. "Being creative is joyful, and joy cures addiction."

Writing poetry has helped Randy Thurber stay sober for 15 years.

The poems Thurber read Sunday chronicled his journey:

The 40-year-old Lincoln man grew up in a house in Chester with an alcoholic father who abused his family. Thurber started drinking when he was 14, and he quickly became addicted. He drove drunk many times and got a DWI when he was 18. In 1990, Thurber got in trouble with the police again and was forced into recovery programs.

Now, he works with chronic alcoholics at the Lancaster County Community Mental Health Center. He has been writing — mostly dark poems about addiction — since 1999.

"It makes me a stronger person," he said. "It is really a part of the journey of recovery."

Thurber said Sunday's event helped bring recovering artists together.

"It's like a huge (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting with art and writing," he said.

Thurber wants to share his experiences with other people. But mostly, he said, he writes for himself because it helps him remain sober.

"The journey doesn't really end," Thurber said. "It's just one day at a time."

Reach Josh Swartzlander at 473-7120 or jswartzlander@journalstar.com.