Clean with a helping hand: Drug support group forms in Gander
Narcotics Anonymous desperately needed in area, says organizer
People hooked on drugs in the Gander area now have more support in their battles to beat addiction.
One local man is helping co-ordinate meetings of Narcotics Anonymous, the centre of a non-professional approach to recovery from drug addiction.
Josh is in his early 20s and started using drugs as a teenager. (Members of Narcotics Anonymous use only their first names for reasons of privacy.)
He said central Newfoundland will benefit from the support of the chapter, the first of its kind in central Newfoundland.
"Most definitely, there is a need," said Josh. "Gander needs help."
Listen to Josh's interview with CBC Radio's Central Morning Show below.
Josh stopped using drugs nine months ago, a feat he credits largely to his time with the new support group.
He said that while his battle with opiates and cocaine has been relatively easy, it has not been simple.
"It was a bumpy road for a few years," he said. "Eventually I got to St. John's, where they had these meetings. Ever since that first day, I was hooked and that is where I began my journey of being clean. And it's been a wonderful journey."
Always temptations
Josh says distancing yourself away from people and things associated with drug use is essential for recovery. Even then, there are temptations.
"I still have my triggers," Josh said. "You think about using and how you'll do it, but then you think about all the trouble and chaos and hurt that follows behind it."
"And it is only going to be a couple of seconds and you are looking for more. One is too many, a thousand is never enough."
Narcotics Anonymous meets Wednesdays in Gander at 8 p.m. at the Evangel Pentecostal Hall, 55 Elizabeth Dr.
Another meeting is in the works for Tuesday nights, from 7 to 8 p.m. at St. Martins' Anglican Church Hall, 2 Lindbergh Rd.
With files from the Central Morning Show.