Recovery Day offers path of hope for people with drug addictions
These days, Brandon Bailey spends his time cutting grass rather than smoking it.
A recovering drug addict, the young entrepreneur has been clean since December 2014 and this past spring he opened his own yard-care business.
“People are afraid to admit they’re addicts,” the 31-year-old Windsor native said.
“It’s OK, we can be productive members of society.”
Bailey takes his message to a wider audience this Saturday as chairman of Windsor’s fourth annual Recovery Day being held at Lanspeary Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“Our mission is to raise awareness about addiction and recovery and to challenge the societal stigma surrounding addiction,” he said.
Windsor is one of 21 cities across Canada hosting Recovery Day to put “the focus on the fact that recovery works and is making life better for millions of Canadians,” said a media release from Recovery Canada.
“Recovery Day aims to put a face and a voice on those who have found the solution. By sharing these success stories, those who are still suffering can see that recovery is possible.”
Bailey is one of those success stories.
“Basically in my old life, I was selling drugs and I was one of my own best customers,” he said.
He thought he had a handle on it because he only used cocaine on the weekends while smoking pot through the week.
“I thought I had control over the drugs until it came to the point where the only thing that mattered was my next usage.”
He spiralled out of control after his mother died in July 2014 and eventually sought help through a 12-step program.
“I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself,” he said.
Bailey has been involved in two of the previous Recovery Day events held in Windsor and took over as chair of the local organizing committee last fall.
“There’s a stigma that the addict is always seen as junkie,” he said.
“But the addict could be a school teacher, a lawyer or your doctor. Anybody could be an addict. “Addiction is a disease.” There will be more than 20 booths representing recovery support services on hand Sunday, including one from Brentwood Recovery Home.
“We’ve been in it every year,” Brentwood executive director Dan Soulliere said. “If it raises awareness, it’s a good thing.”
Brentwood is holding its own fundraising walkathon at 10 a.m. that day along the Ganatchio Trail.
Bailey is hoping that won’t affect turnout at Lanspeary. Last year, attendance was down by about 100 from the 400 that turned out for the 2015 event. Bailey said the 2016 date conflicted with the Suicide Prevention Walk.