Recovery Day brings education, plus rock n’ roll to downtown Red Deer

Recovery Day runs from 12-5, and it is entirely free. Live music will be on stage all afternoon leading up to Trooper at around 4 p.m.

The event is family-friendly, with organizers telling rdnewsNOW how incredibly important it is for people of all ages to talk about recovery and end the stigma.

“Addiction is a killer, so we make a big deal out of recovery, and it’s what we’ve become known for. We’ve been in operation since 1984. We now have four treatment centres in B.C. and Alberta. People are dying. Families are being destroyed. People are losing their moms and dads, brothers and sisters,” says Giuseppe Ganci, community development coordinator at Last Door.

“I’ve been doing this for about 20 years, and when I started to get into community engagement and community events, it was really complicated. People talked about the stigma of addiction, but the reality is the stigma on recovery is just as strong. It has a chokehold on us; people don’t want to say they’re sober. People don’t want to say that they’re in recovery. People don’t want people to know, and the reality is that addiction lives in secret.”

Ganci believes part of the winning formula is making the discussion more fun, which is why they’re making Recovery Day bigger.

Not only is Trooper playing the event in Red Deer on Sept. 26, but Bif Naked and Sloan are playing an Edmonton event on Sept. 19, and Tom Cochrane will undoubtedly bring the house down on Sept. 20 in Calgary.

“There are different pathways to recovery, like 12-step fellowships that have their own recovery events. Those have been going on forever. But this is not that. This is about asking how do we get our families and our friends in the community to learn about recovery in a way that’s not just chalkboard presentation boring? How do you make this cool? How do you make this lifestyle something that doesn’t need to be a secret?” Ganci says.

“You’ve got to remember that addiction is one of those things that nobody thinks about until it’s too late.”

Last Door took over operation of the local recovery facility this past August from Edgewood Health Network.

The facility itself was funded and opened by the provincial government in late 2022.

“Our goal is to build recovery capital in people. When you get here, the goal is to rebuild connection to your family, to your education, to whatever career paths you may be going to or need to create new life skills to get a future. Our goal is to have you become part of the community. You don’t just go to treatment and live between four walls, then go home,” explains Ganci.

“That’s why we’re doing Recovery Day in Red Deer. Our clients are going to be volunteering. This is their party. It’s an opportunity for them, for their families to come with them and experience this gift of recovery.”

Ganci says when they opened a similar facility in Calgary, there was backlash and fear. But they persevered.

“The entire neighbourhood that’s around the facility in Calgary was scared, and I don’t blame them. We were going to put 80 — I call them addicts because I’m an addict — addicts in their backyard. They didn’t know who we were, and we were able to have a lot of stakeholder meetings. We put the energy into it. We showed them who we are. We’re not just this addiction treatment centre; we’re a recovery community. In New Westminster, B.C., we’re an economic driver in the city.”

In the end, it’s about conversation, he adds.

“Our idea of bringing the community together is celebrating all the pathways to recovery and understanding it’s unique for each city. That will be a challenge for us coming into Red Deer and getting everyone to understand that,” Ganci believes.

“Recovery Day is an opportunity for the community to see the people that are suffering and really believe that there is hope and a way to change.”

YOU CAN HEAR A PORTION OF THE CONVERSATION WITH GIUSEPPE GANCI ON EP. 83 OF THE EVERYTHING RED DEER PODCAST!

by Josh Hall

Recovery Day brings education, plus rock n’ roll to downtown Red Deer

What's Trending