1st-ever Recovery Day in St. John's seeks to end addiction stigma, by talking about it

Breaking down barriers around the nature of addiction and recovery is the biggest hurdle when it comes to saving lives, say the organizers of the first-ever Recovery Day event for St. John's.

That's a truth Jill Milley confronted head-on when she hit rock bottom, and eventually — and successfully — got through treatment.

"I'm just on fire when it comes to recovery and sharing the message that it can happen for anyone. We just have to believe in people so they can believe in themselves," Milley told the crowd Wednesday in Bannerman Park.

"There's been so much redemption and forgiveness and healing."

Milley was one of the guest speakers at Recovery Day, an annual event that happens in 30 cities across Canada. Wednesday marked the first time St. John's held the event.

Pain is a contagion, but so is hope.- Gord Garner

For Milley, a 32-year-old mother, sharing her story about addiction is a way to show it can happen to anyone.

"I grew up in a loving home and I was given absolutely everything a child needs to thrive and survive," Milley said.

"I was a straight-A student, I was involved in extracurriculars. This isn't a parent issue — this is a disease that is just darkness and it will take down anyone — and everyone."

Milley said she's worked hard to create a lifestyle that supports her recovery, and she's been clean for a number of years.

But she said the same will be possible for more people only if the stigma surrounding addiction is broken down.

"I just hope that we can lose that attitude of hopelessness when it comes to addiction and the community can really come together and see that there are solutions," she said.

"It's gonna take public events such as this to enlighten and encourage people to reach out for help and realize that, it doesn't matter how far a loved one or you go down, there's support and there's resources."

'I had nothing to lose'

That's a sentiment echoed by Gord Garner, executive director of Community Addiction Peer Support Association of Canada, who came to St. John's from Ottawa for Recovery Day.

"This is wonderful. It's coast to coast now in Canada," Garner said.

For Garner, talking about his experience with addiction is a responsibility he felt he owed to others.

"I was very fortunate — I had nothing, so I was in a position of immunity toward stigma," he said.

"I had nothing to lose.… No one could harm me through stigma. It's not safe for everyone to speak out — stigma is very real. A friend of mine lost their job not because they weren't well but because they reported being better."

Garner said there are still misconceptions around addiction, adding that those without experiences "still see you as other, less than."

That's why he said it's so vital to talk about it with people.

"Pain is a contagion," Garner said. "But so is hope, so is wellbeing, so is optimism. I choose that path."

That's a familiar sentiment to Milley, who added a community can only recover together by talking with one another about all aspects of recovery.

"Rather than only talk about the overdoses and the disease and the crime, we need to talk about the hope and the recovery that's happening in this city," she said.

"We need to be encouraging people that it can happen for you, too."

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