Geri Bemister
Special to The Record
All too often, issues of great importance in the Comox Valley are foreshadowed by conversations on the national stage. One issue I am heavily involved with is recovery from the disease of addiction.
To most Canadians, this phrase is misunderstood. Even those within the criminology profession and addiction treatment field often debate the issue.
As an expert in the fields of addiction and criminology, I was proud to be appointed to BC’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Crime Reduction, which concluded in December.
In January, I participated in a summit in Ottawa hosted by the federal government and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), which for the first time signed the National Commitment to Recovery from the Disease of Addiction in Canada, and clearly defined the word recovery as it relates to addiction.
Recovery, according to the CCSA website, “is a process of action that addresses the biological, psychological, social and spiritual disturbances inherent in addiction. Recovery aims to improve the quality of life by seeking balance and healing in all aspects of health and wellness, while addressing an individual’s consistent pursuit of abstinence, impairment in behavioral control, dealing with cravings, recognizing problems in one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and dealing more effectively with emotional responses.”
While the national commitment signed in Ottawa is only two pages long, its implications are immense and timely.
It creates a new vision of what addiction recovery means in Canada and sets up a positive vision for collaborative, stigma-free services and support for people going through the recovery process.
Addiction affects us all. The disease touches approximately eight per cent of Canada’s population; nearly every household in Canada has a direct or near-direct relative affected by addiction, whether they are aware of it or not.
Addiction also contributes greatly to crime, affecting health, policing, court services, and community businesses.
This ultimately raises taxes and consumer costs.
With such wide-ranging effects on individuals, families, and communities, I urge everyone to read the CCSA definition, learn more about addictions as a disease, and realize recovery is possible.
By better understanding the disease, we can all help those suffering to regain their lives and be positive members of society.
To read the National Commitment to Recovery from the Disease of Addiction in Canada, and its full definition of recovery, visit the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse at www.ccsa.ca.
Geri Bemister teaches criminology at NIC and VIU and is the owner of Revelation Works, an international addiction consulting company in Courtenay and Nanaimo.
