Hamilton Round Up, hope for drug addicts

Presented by Cocaine Anonymous, anyone who struggles or knows someone is welcome

Anyone with a drug addiction who is looking for help and hope would be well-served to attend a special event planned by Cocaine Anonymous for Sept. 15, says an addict in recovery.

“Considering the reality surrounding addiction in Hamilton, we believe that public awareness of the unique and powerful help we can provide to addicts is not only timely, but also vital,” says Ernie, the publicity chair of Hamilton Round Up 2018.

In respect for the program, Hamilton Community News is following Cocaine Anonymous’ principle of not using last names.

Cocaine Anonymous began in Los Angeles in 1982 and has since expanded throughout the United States and Canada. Similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, the program uses the same 12 steps AA is famous for but focuses on cocaine and all other mind-altering drugs, such as crack, rather than alcohol.

Long after its popularity as a glamour drug in the 1970s and ‘80s, cocaine use continues.

“Cocaine hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s still very present,” says Ernie.

These days, he adds, it is often dangerously laced with fentanyl.

There are different types of drug users. Some are able to limit their intake of illegal drugs to once or twice a year in social settings as a form of entertainment. Others come to rely on it and it takes over their lives.

Ernie, now clean for 16 months, says he went through both phases and drug use became the centre of his life, as

much as he didn’t want it to be.

He says he couldn’t go one week without using drugs before he joined Cocaine Anonymous. He saw that the program worked for other people, that they were able to stay clean, but it took “a couple years of trying relentlessly” before he managed to conquer his addiction.

Today, he notes that he is not cured and could fall back into his

old habit if he didn’t follow every step of the program and using the tools it gives him to deal with any problems.

Glen, one of the organizers of the Hamilton Round Up, recently marked four years clean from the day he stopped using methadone and other prescription drugs.

“It’s been closer to 10 years since I’ve used heroin and cocaine,” he says.

His addiction took him “to a place where I was homeless, where I was doing some pretty brutal crimes just to buy drugs.”

Glen says his situation seemed “utterly hopeless” and he wondered what was the point of still being alive.

“Compared to that, quitting was easy,” he says. “But I couldn’t do it until I plugged into a 12-step program of recovery.”

He says anyone dealing with a problem should check out the Hamilton Round Up.

“For somebody struggling with addiction, come for the hope. For someone with a family member struggling with addiction or alcoholism, come for the same reason,” says Glen.

“The energy and the joyousness of these events — it’s inspiring. There’s a lot of energy, a lot of happiness.”

For information about Cocaine Anonymous in Ontario and its various chapters, see ca-on.org or call 1-866-622-4636.