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The Metis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan Incorporated (MACSI) is hosting its sixth annual Sober Walk in Regina on Nov. 21 and organizers are excited.
"This walk gets bigger every year and the participation from the community has been phenomenal," said Albert Delaire, minister of health for the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan and a MACSI staff member.
Delaire said the walk will begin at the Regina detox centre at Victoria and Retallack Streets at 12:15 p.m.
"Typically someone coming to us for help in recovering from substance abuse will begin his or her journey at a detox centre. The beginning of the walk is symbolic of the commencement of the healing process," he said.
The 45-minute walk will continue to the MACSI Centre at 329 College Avenue East, where hot soup and bannock will be waiting.
"The Regina City Police are excellent in closing off the streets to traffic, and they also show their support by walking with us," Delaire said. "Besides family members and friends, a lot of government officials, such as Karen Givons and Pat Inglis from the provincial Saskatchewan Health department, turn out every year to walk side-by- side with recovering substance abusers. And of course our own president of the Metis National Council, Clement Chartier, plans to attend as well."
More than 150 hearty souls from all walks of life and representing many nationalities attended the event last year and more have expressed an interest this year.
"It's a great feeling of fellowship walking together and often people watching along the way join in as well. We are sending the message that substance abusers and their families can turn their lives around and experience a healthy lifestyle," Delaire said.
The council is a community-based organization established in 1969 to provide alcohol and drug recovery, reintegration and healing programs to Metis and off-reserve First Nations peoples of Saskatchewan. However, the council's services are open to all citizens of Saskatchewan.
The walk on Nov. 21 is being held in conjunction with National Addictions Awareness Week and is just one of many events the council sponsors throughout the year. Sober walks are organized in other provincial locations as well, and community awareness days are also sponsored during which the treatment centres can be toured and the process of rehabilitation explained to the general public.
"We attend each other's walks and have mutual support with other agencies in the various communities as well. And we work in partnership with other organizations, such as the Speaking Out/Listening for Healing project which is funded by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation," said Delaire.
The goal of this three-year, community-based project is to build safe communities where Metis residential school survivors can assist one another in recovering from the legacy of abuse in their childhood, he explained.
Delaire urges everyone to get involved in the walk or other National Addictions Awareness Week activities, either in a MACSI-sponsored event, or in their own communities.
"Showing your support for the treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers is one of the most worthwhile activities in which we can be involved," he said.
Delaire invites anyone with any questions about MACSI, or anyone wanting to access treatment, to call the council at 1-800-236-5204.
"Together we can celebrate the joy of an addictions-free lifestyle. We honour those community members who have journeyed the path themselves and who are now reaching out to help others do the same."
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