New Westminster festival celebrates addiction recovery, reduces stigma
'There is a lot of shame and having people rally and support like this is huge,' recovering addict
Crowds gathered in New Westminster Saturday to celebrate people who have overcome addiction and the loved ones who support them.
The 11th annual Recovery Day Festival has all the makings of a community street party — food trucks, music, and face-painting — but the vendors lining the crowded streets are hawking hope.
Giuseppe Ganci, the chair of the Recovery Day Festival, said the event is about honouring those who have lost their lives but also reducing the stigma of drug use.
"It doesn't just affect the person, it affects the entire community," Ganci said.
"These are your brothers, your sisters your family members, your doctors, your lawyers ... We need to remove that stigma."
Michelle Ibaraki, a recovered heroin addict, agrees.
"There is a lot of shame to do with addiction and having people rally and support like this is huge because it takes that stigma out," Ibarki said.
"I come from a good family and it happened to me. I ended up working on the streets. It can happen to anybody."
Her words of advice?
"Don't give up. There is hope. It seems daunting at the time...but just keep on trucking."
The B.C. Coroners Service says 134 people died of illicit-drug overdoses in July, a 25 per cent increase from June. The service says about four people fatally overdose every day in the province, which leads the country in illicit-drug deaths.
The province declared a public health emergency on April 14, 2016 because of the rise in drug overdoses and deaths.