JOBS, ACCEPTANCE PART OF RECOVERY FROM DRUGS

"There is more to life than chasing a high," says a Steinbach resident
who is recovering from a 15-year battle with drug and alcohol
addictions. But his struggles with addictions didn't end three years
ago when he admitted he had a problem and asked for help.

"They say life gets easier the longer you stay clean but it is hard to
stay clean," says Dan, adding job offers, family support and community
acceptance are important pieces in the recovery process.

Dan, not his real name, is a member of the Steinbach Addictions
Awareness committee and a volunteer counsellor at Backstagethe
Steinbach Youth for Christ drop-in centre.

The addictions committee has published his story on placemats and
information sheets that will be used and distributed in local
restaurants Addictions Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22.

Dan says he is sharing his story with the hope it will motivate people
dealing with addictions to find help and raise awareness that family
and community support go a long way to help recovering addicts gain
self-esteem and self-confidence.

Addictions cross all income level and cultural boundaries, says Dan,
adding his story is similar to the stories of many others who have
problems with addictions. Dan started drinking alcohol and smoking
marijuana at the age of 14 or 15 to feel part of a group. "As soon as
I smoked my first joint I wanted morethe same thing with drinking."

He soon started using harder drugs and supported his addictions
through criminal activities. "I got hooked on that tooit was the
excitement of being where I shouldn't be," he recalls. He spent the
next 15 years in and out of prison.

About three years ago, he experienced what he describes as a "moment
of clarity." He was at his friend's house getting high when he noticed
the grubby living conditions and lack of personal hygiene.

"I knew I had a loving family to go home toI knew I was better than
this."

He called his AA sponsor. "That phone weighed 1,000 poundsit is a
humbling experience to ask for help. It is hard, really hard to do
that."

Dan had gone to AA meetings and participated in detoxification
programs before as part of various programs but this time it was his
own initiative.

"I wanted to quit before it killed me," he says, adding that staying
clean is an ongoing struggle.

He emphasized that his faith in God is a constant source of
strength.

"It is an act of God that I'm clean," he says. "When I struggle with
staying clean I pray, 'please help me through this place' and God
intervenes somehow."

New opportunities

Dan, now 32, says being clean is opening doors to new opportunities
and new beginnings.

He graduated from high school in June 2002, got his first driver's
licence, got married last year and appreciates the strong support of a
loving wife and her child.

He's grateful that a Steinbach employer gave him the "benefit of the
doubt" and offered him a job to help him establish a good record of
employment. He quit his job to upgrade his skills and is now enrolled
at Winnipeg Technical College.

Dan is looking for a part-time evening job. "I'm not lazyI want to
work and need money to pay the bills," he explains. "I've cleaned up
but my past is still my past. The baggage is still with me."

He makes a conscious effort to use his past experiences to help
others. He says his first-hand experience with peer pressure, foster
homes, group homes and prison help him relate to youth who are
experiencing similar problems.

"I want to give back to my communityI won't change the world but
hopefully I can help one kid," he says.

His interest in visual arts helps him deal with his past and gives him
an outlet to use his past experiences in a positive way.

"Drawing helps me find myselfit is almost like meditation," he says.
"It helps me come to conclusions about what I should do and think
about something before I do it."

He designs artwork for tee shirts that combine creative artwork with
messages that encourage youth to say no to drugs, stay in school and
stay out of gangs.

"The message isjust say no but I try to make the designs look cool so
that kids will want to wear it," he says.

He sells tee shirts on an individual basis but is looking for
businesses, schools and organizations that would be interested in
distributing his shirts or using his designs on clothing that also has
the business or organization logo.

"I would put all the money back into the business to create awareness
of the dangers of drugs," he says.

He has dreams of opening an art studio someday that would be open to
others dealing with addictions.

Dan gets support from AA meetings but says there is a need in
Steinbach for a narcotics anonymous (NA) group as well. He is
currently looking for a location for meetings for such a group.

Bev Unger, chair of the 17-member Addiction Awareness Committee, says
the placemats and information sheets also provide information to help
family, friends and employers recognize signs of addictions and list
resources available for people who have addictions.

For more information about the Addiction Awareness Committee,
community resources and Dan's tee shirt designs, please contact Unger
at 346-6348.