The event is always held on June 26 and runs alongside the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.’ It supports the war on drugs and helps destigmatize those who are struggling while using substances.
Anti-Stigma Day is one way of creating awareness and dialogue. Understanding those suffering from drug addictions is one way to destigmatize the notion according to Kayla Farewell, Elizabeth Fry housing case manager.
“It's not always a choice. Addiction can be really hard to come out and mostly what we ask for is just understanding,” she explained. Everyone is walking their own path. All of these organizations believe in walking alongside people as they walk their own path and it's just showing that compassion, understanding and a willingness to learn. A lot of the stigma comes from not knowing from ignorance whether that's purposeful or not.”
The YES Shelter, One City PTBO, Moms Stop the Harm, John Howard Society, Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network, Peterborough 260 Nurse Practitioner-Left Clinic, Peterborough Public Health and Canadian Addiction Treatment Services were in attendances with tables to offer information sessions during the event.
Farewell says being open about having a conversation and not shying away from it, whether you are suffering or hearing out someone else, is a huge step towards ending the stigma.
“Starting dialogues with people, even people that you love, that you know have an addiction in the past, making sure you're not afraid to talk about it and making sure that you're not afraid to look away,” she said. “It is very present in our community and the instinct for a lot of people is just to look the other way but it's very important to come together as a community to help the people who live here who use substances.”
A community effort of having sympathy and empathy for those who are suffering from drug addiction is vital to destigmatization.
“They are just people,” said Farewell. “We are all a bad event from being in that position ourselves so having that sympathy, having that love and approaching it with open arms is really the key to all of it. It's takes community to come to get to help lift people up out of the tough spots.”
