If there was one message to take away from the Parkdale Drug Strategy's Education Day, it was addiction does not discriminate based on age, race, creed or social standing.
The two panel speakers at the drug awareness event have lived very different lives. Dr. John is a physician and BJ works at the Parkdale Community Health Centre. Both have histories with addiction and shared their stories: Dr. John's of abstinence and BJ's of harm reduction.Dr. John graduated from the University of Toronto in the 80s and set up a family practice in Mississauga. He worked there for 10 years gradually focusing his work as a general practitioner on psychotherapy. He moved to downtown Toronto and built a caseload with clients he felt he was maintaining and not curing."I had all the trappings of success," Dr. John said. "But I wasn't contributing in a way I felt I could."Dr. John, who had used recreational drugs in the past, started using cocaine when he was in his 40s."Looking back I can see elements of why I started in substance abuse," he said, "but I will never know 100 per cent why."Dr. John developed a problem with cocaine, until one day, while using, he said he accidentally reported himself to the College of Physicians and Surgeons.He got into a recovery program designed specifically for people working in the medical field and celebrated five years of abstinence last January and volunteers with withdrawal management at St. Joseph's Hospital.Also on the panel was BJ, who has a long history of drug use, and now works with the Parkdale Community Health Centre in harm reduction."I am still an active user, I am just safer about it," BJ told the room of people.She has three children, none of whom live with her, and has experienced homelessness and lives with mental illness like anxiety and depression."I did drugs to forget about it," she said. "To forget about the pain. It hurts me so much not having my children with me, I just wanted to mask it."BJ said she still uses crack cocaine once a month, which helps her through her life. She uses a kit to come down off the drugs when she uses and makes sure all of her needs like rent and groceries are taken care of before buying drugs.Despite their different life stories, both panelists reminded the people in attendance that addiction takes on many different faces and affects many sorts of people. The PDS Education Day was designed to expose individuals, agencies and community groups to the four pillars that are the guiding principle of the group: prevention, harm reduction/anti-stigma, treatment and enforcement.Parkdale Drug Strategy (PDS) hosted the Education Day Saturday, April 9 at the May Robinson Auditorium in Parkdale.On site were all of the group's member agencies including St. Christopher House, Parkdale Community Health Centre, the Parkdale Residents Association, Parkdale Activity - Recreation Centre, Community Outreach Programs in Addictions and the Toronto Police Service.PDS was started several years ago out of MPP Cheri DiNovo's office with the hope, she said, to bring together all the caregivers and social service agencies that deal with mental health and addiction.