2 local recovery groups partner with 36 hotels 'to make sure support is easy to find' during NFL Draft

With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to be in the North Shore and Downtown in the coming days, it's inevitable some will have substance use disorders.

That's why two addiction and recovery support organizations have teamed up to connect visitors with recovery resources, should they need them.

Nonprofits Onala Recovery Center, based in the South Shore, and the Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions, in Downtown, have partnered with more than two dozen hotels in the Pittsburgh area, printing discreet cards with local resources for the hotel front-desk and concierge staff to hand out. Onala officials confirmed cards were delivered to 36 hotels.

If a visitor asks if there's a nearby sober space, a recovery meeting they can attend, a crisis intervention hotline or supplies for safe use, staff at participating hotels will have the answers. Onala, for instance, hosts Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings daily.

Participating hotels include, but aren't limited to, the Sheraton in Station Square, Marriott-owned Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites on the North Shore, as well as hotels farther out in McCandless.

"With such a busy weekend ahead, we want to make sure support is easy to find," said Zach Benkovitz, Onala's executive director, in an April 16 news release about the partnership. "These resource cards are a simple way to let visitors know that they are welcome, no matter where they're from or where they are in their recovery."

While recovery groups and sober spaces participated in last year's NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wis., the official partnership with hotels seems to be a first. Joel Gregozeski, village manager at The Village of Ashwaubenon, in the Green Bay metro area, remembers coordinating 200 different organizations and setting up a shuttle service to deter visitors from driving while intoxicated. A sober space was cordoned off as well.

That sober space was created by a group called Section Yellow, based on the yellow balloon movement designating sober spaces at Grateful Dead and Phish concerts. It partnered officially with the Green Bay Packers, erected a tent lined with yellow balloons at the stadium entrance and ran informal meetings after each draft day.

Section Yellow also linked up with recovery.com to place plaques around the city, with a list of recovery resources.

"Any time you can get information to people who are coming to an unfamiliar place, who want to continue their healthy routines, is great," said Thomas Doughman, Section Yellow cofounder.

He expects about 90,000 people interacted with the group's stadium table last year. Mr. Doughman thought the hotel cards were a practical idea to get recovery information out to attendees who may know of services in their own communities - but not "in the beautiful land of Pittsburgh."

The Green Bay event, though, actually saw less chaos than Mr. Gregozeski expected.

"Our experiences attending both [the Green Bay and Detroit] drafts, it's not really a drinking environment," he said. "It was nowhere near what a game day is like. People are there to participate in the event; it's very family-friendly."

Still, Pittsburgh would rather be prepared. The risk of a drug overdose increases when people travel, as the potency and makeup of the illicit supply varies by city, and people are away from their normal routines. The small card reminds people not to use alone and lists the National Overdose Prevention Hotline.

"I've been involved in overdose prevention for such a long time; I thought this was such a unique opportunity for Pittsburgh," said Eric Hulsey, executive director at IRETA and longtime Onala board member.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 11:16 PM.