Up To Date

How This Kansas City Artist Conquered His Addiction

By Steve Kraske,

Published December 14, 2020 at 4:39 PM CST

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Kansas City based oil painter and illustrator Wes Benson says he paints what he finds beautiful.

After a long battle, Kansas City artist Wes Benson conquered his addiction to opioids. He tells his story hoping it will help others do the same.

Today, he runs a secular AA group called “Freethinkers,” aimed at helping people empower themselves to recover from addiction. He also sponsors several addicts and cautions them not to backslide during a pandemic, when it’s especially easy to do so.

Wes Benson, artist and addiction survivor

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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