Red Deer Recovery Day 2016 at City Hall Park. (Recovery Day Red Deer Facebook page)

By Jordan Davidson (Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow)

Help is available

Red Deer Recovery Day aims to break the stigma around addiction

Sep 10, 2021 | 11:18 AM

For those struggling with addiction, or those who know somebody struggling with an addiction, Red Deer Recovery Day might be for you.

The annual event takes place on Saturday, Sept. 11 at City Hall Park in Red Deer, and invites anyone suffering from any kind of addiction to come out to show support, along with their friends and family.

Event coordinator Krista Black says events like this help break the stigma of addiction, and can help people realize that an addict doesn’t always look like how they are often portrayed in popular media.

“Gambling addictions, shopping addictions, eating disorders, alcohol addiction, substance abuse, there’s so much, sex addiction, porn addiction. We tend to separate those things and say one is better or worse than the other, but if it’s affecting your daily life and you’re struggling, it’s a problem.”

Black says meeting in large group setting like this can help an addict realize they are not alone, and there are plenty of people and resources available to help.

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“I know for myself I didn’t recognize what there was available for help out there, I just thought I needed willpower and the strength to do it on my own and I couldn’t. I felt hopeless.”

She says no matter what the addiction, addicts share similar feelings, which can be major obstacles on the path to getting help.

“I think whatever form of addiction you might be struggling with, the feelings are all the same. The hopelessness, the desperation, the shame. But there’s also hope on the other side of that if you can find the right resources and people to help you and not be ashamed. To reach out, talk to somebody openly about it, there is a solution.”

Black says recovery days like this take place all across Canada. The United States has even declared September as National Recovery Month, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

She says days like this are especially important now during a global pandemic, as isolation, stress, and uncertainty are all stressors that help feed addictions.

“Isolation amplifies addiction. I’ve read and heard that connection is the opposite of addiction, not sobriety, and that’s why connecting with people in the community, connecting with people who have been through the same thing as you, 12-step programs, counseling, support, those are all the things that connect you. Connection is going to help you overcome your addiction.”

Black says the event is open to anyone, and she encourages people to bring their family and friends as a show of solidarity.

For more information on Red Deer Recovery Day or to volunteer, visit Recovery Day Red Deer on Facebook.