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Former addict rides across Canada to raise awareness of opioid addiction

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Former addict bikes across Canada to raise awareness of opiod addiction
WATCH ABOVE: A former addict is riding his bike across Canada to raise awareness of opiod use disorder and to help individuals find the resources to free themselves from addiction. Global’s Paul Cormier reports – Aug 2, 2016

Back in May, Chris Cull set out to ride his bike from Vancouver to Halifax to shine a light on opioid use disorder, an addiction he suffered with, and eventually overcame.  He was in Moncton Tuesday, on his final stop, before heading to Prince Edward Island, then eventually to Halifax.

“In the beginning when I started using I didn’t think much of it because that was someting you could legally get. That was a huge mistake,” Cull, a spokesperson for ORbeOk.ca, said.

More than 360,000 Canadians are dependent on prescription opioids, while only about 1 out of 3 of them are currently receiving treatment. Equally concerning is the fact that the World Health Organisation reports that Canada is now the number one consumer of prescription opioids in the world.

This is the second time Cull has embarked on a cross Canada ride, he did it back in the summer of 2014 and a movie was made out of his adventures.

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“On my first ride across Canada I teed a bucket of balls off the top of the Rockies, I jumped out of an airplane in Montreal, went white water rafting in northern Ontario; all the things I wanted to do and couldn’t do when I was addicted,” Cull said

If you’re looking for information on opioid addiction go to ORbeOK.ca.

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