Thursday 7 June 2012

My faith in Insite

There's been many times that I've been on the Downtown Eastside. There's also been a few friends I've had that became addicted to heroin. I chose to do Insite to connect and enhance my knowledge of addiction  and poverty in a local way so that I can share this knowledge "insite"fully. I learned the more political aspects of these issues and the efforts of compassionate people who fight to overcome great obstacles. I learned about how the federal government doesn't always have the best intentions in mind for their citizens if they've strayed in their path of life by doing drugs, and that prevention doesn't always work. When I was younger I rememver all sorts of speakers and classes we'd have focusing on drugs and where they'd take you. There would be major scare tactics showing scabby faces or crazy, sad faces. No one would tell you the story or where they'd be now, just that these people lost in life and that you can join them too if you smoke pot or inject heroin. 


Photo courtesy of shutterstock


Sadly these tactics don't work for everyone as I've lost people who probably heard the same speakers, seen the same faces, to addiction. These people who lived similiar lives to mine. I may not ever see these people again but knowing there's a place like Insite that cares about these marginalized people regardless and is willing to take time to give them the support they really need, makes me feel immensely better. I wish more people could understand what they do and how they help and the benefit they have to a community that seemed so hopeless. 

I had a good friend a few years ago, his mother was a great inspiration to me. She never got to see my friend when we was growing up and had left him to be raised by his not so caring grandmother. His mother never got to see him and was incapable of taking care of him because she was a victim to a meth addiction. He was even homeless for a few months when he was 12. One day his mother realized she had enough of it and within a year had become clean and had the opportunity to be the mother she couldn't before. When I used to see her answer the door with a smile and a compliment, handing me an apple I'd think, "what an amazing mom!". As I sat one time on their patio in the summer, out of nowhere she shared with me the story of how after 9 years of doing meth she was able to overcome her addiction.

I chose Insite so that one day there'd be more stories like that and less tragedies.

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