Calgarians share stories of the ‘many paths’ from addiction to recovery

As the opioid epidemic maintains its grip on Calgary, one group is educating people about what services are available for addicts.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi officially declared September 9th Recovery Day in Calgary and said it gives organizations a chance to work together.

“We have to make sure all of the various people who have a stake in this have the ability to come around one table,” he said.

The sixth annual Recovery Day was held at Poppy Plaza and featured speakers who have gone through the struggles of addiction and recovery.

A common thread throughout the day was the many paths to recovery, including harm reduction and abstinence.

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Rosalind Davis, co-founder of Change the Face of Addiction, said places like supervised consumption sites are key to starting the recovery process.

“It’s about meeting them where they are and making sure that we keep them safe until they’re ready to make the next steps,” Davis said.

“Someone can’t get better if they’re dead.”

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Along with harm reduction, abstinence programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous play a role, event organizers said.

Wendy Hyman, who helped start Recovery Day six years ago, said abstinence is where most recovering addicts want to eventually be.

“It allows the brain to be able to reset itself so that there is an opportunity for coping skills to be implemented into lives,” said Hyman.

Volunteer Sheldon Bailey, who has gone through the ups and downs of recovery, said that what worked for him might not work for others.

That’s why he believes bringing these organizations together in one place is crucial.

“Some people achieve recovery with the 12-step programs, some people achieve recovery through Buddhist-based programs,” said Bailey. “There are many different paths to recovery. I’ve chosen my own path but there’s not just one path.”

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Davis agreed, saying she’s seen how different people cope with recovery.

“Some people will be able to climb up and over a mountain in a day and some of us need to go the long way around. Some of us won’t make it as far as we want to.”

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No matter what the organization or school of thought, experts agree the first step for anyone facing addiction is to reach out for help.