Recovery Day offers support, awareness around addictions

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This article was published 09/09/2022 (1363 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To recover from a substance use disorder, or addiction, is a tremendous task that can seem at times insurmountable, especially without the proper support and community, says Ian Rabb.

Rabb knows first-hand: 21 years ago, the Winnipegger was “an everything addict.” But with a lot of help, Rabb managed to get sober and has spent years working to help others do the same.

His is a story that is too uncommon, he says. Though it’s difficult to accurately quantify, addiction and substance use disorders affect thousands of Manitobans each year, and throughout the pandemic, that proportion has risen substantially, says Marion Cooper, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Manitoba branch.

“We’ve seen a definite increase in levels of mental illness and distress, which often coincides with substance use and addiction,” says Cooper. Meanwhile, drug-related deaths and opioid poisonings also increased, with over 400 deaths recorded in Manitoba in 2021. An estimated two in 10 Manitobans have substance use problems, Cooper says.

It’s a grim picture, but Rabb and Cooper, along with a group of like-minded individuals, hope Recovery Day, scheduled for Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at The Forks’ CN Stage, will help remind people and families dealing with substance use issues that they aren’t alone.

Cooper says that Recovery Day Winnipeg began in 2018 as an offshoot of a similar event in B.C. which was held for about 10 years. The local event is part of a national movement to reduce and challenge stigma around addiction and recovery through building awareness. To do so, musicians and speakers are brought in for the free event.

In 2019, the event — whose sponsors include the Canadian Mental Health Association and Southeast Child & Family Services — brought to town actress Mackenzie Phillips, who has a well-documented story of substance use and recovery.

This year, guest speakers include Chet Hanks, the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, as well as actor Tony Denison of The Closer and a trio of drag queens from Canada’s Drag Race — Juice Boxx, BOA and Kendall Gender.

“Each of them are on their own journeys,” Rabb says.

In addition to the speakers, live entertainment will be provided by the aforementioned drag queens, along with singer-songwriters Brandi Vezina and Violet Vopni, the Aboriginal School of Dance, the Walking Wolf Dancers & Singers and Space Case, a trio made up of local artists Sol James, Rusty Robot and jonny moonbeam. Food trucks will be on site, and it will of course be a dry event.

Rabb and Cooper hope the event helps people make personal progress and find community and support, without which recovery and continued sobriety are difficult to attain. Meanwhile, as always, the goal is to challenge misconceptions — that addiction is a choice, that mental illness is a weakness — which are false. While there is a widespread need for more and better access to mental health services and addictions treatment in the province, Rabb says being open and honest about individual challenges can help everyone in the community better understand substance use disorders and addiction.

“If we can provide hope, resources and community, then it’s a pretty good start for people on the pathway to health and wellness,” Rabb says.

“Recovery Day is about celebrating community,” Cooper says. “And the antidote to addiction is really a community.”

More information is available online at recoverydaywinnipeg.ca.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com