As a First Nation person I have been terrorized by alcohol and drug addiction all my life. I grew up with this reality and continue to witness the effects of addictions today. From the time I was a child I realized how terrible life was because of alcohol and drugs. I vowed to never head in that direction. However, as soon as I went into my teen years I joined the party.
Lucky for me, my cousin, who had gone to treatment then studied as a drug and alcohol counsellor, returned to my community and started up an Alcoholics Anonymous healing group. I joined and began to figure things out. Thanks to that help, support from others on the road to recovery, and traditional and cultural healing guidance, I have been sober now for almost three decades. It has not been an easy road but believe me it’s much easier than being a slave to alcohol and drug addiction.
I commend all health and service workers and the leaders doing their best to help our people recover from these terrible addictions. Sometimes those in power also deal with addictions and resist seeking help because they feel threatened. Like others, they may be in denial.
First Nation communities have dealt with all kinds of abuse, violence, and hopelessness for what seems like forever. That is what happens when people are alcohol- and drug-addicted with communities and families being torn apart.
I urge our young people to pursue education in drug and alcohol addiction to help our communities recover. Above all, they should face any addictions they may have. We need this so that we can deal with colonization, residential school trauma and the racism we have experienced for centuries.
I am exhausted from hearing of people I know dying due to drugs and alcohol. These days the drug reality on the street has changed and we see substances that are so powerful that once a person gets hooked it is very difficult to recover.
Yet it is possible to save people. I give thanks to all those frontline workers who deal every day with this terrible epidemic. We need these survivors who are in recovery to help our people. We need First Nation counsellors and workers with experience first-hand in recovery, relapse, the use of AA, NA, traditional and cultural healing to give our future generations hope.
One of my favourite stories I picked up years ago gives us an idea of how important it is for our people in recovery to be a big part in helping our communities suffering with alcohol and drug addictions. It goes like this:
A man is walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are steep, and he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the man shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down the hole and moves on.
Then a priest comes along, and the man shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest kneels down and recites a prayer for the man in the hole and then moves on.
Next a psychologist walks by and the man in the hole calls out for help. The psychologist suggests that the man think about his childhood, trauma experiences and consider making an appointment for counselling.
Lastly, a fellow walks by and the man in the hole calls out for help saying, “I’m in this hole and can’t figure out how to get out.” The fellow jumps into the hole, where the trapped man says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” His new friend says, “Yeah, don’t worry I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”
We need First Nation survivors who have been through the journey of recovery to help our communities. We need people who already know how to crawl out of the dark hole of addiction to help those who are still trapped. These people are precious to us and are a great part of the solution to healing First Nations.