Woman celebrates three decades of sobriety

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On Nov. 19, members of White Bear First Nation will gather together in the school gymnasium to help Maria Joyea celebrate an impressive milestone-30 years of sobriety.

A round dance will be held to mark the occasion, followed by giveaways, basket raffles, 50/50 raffles and a midnight lunch.

Joyea said everybody is welcome to attend the celebration, especially the youth.

"I'm trying to inspire the younger children," said Joyea, who is co-ordinating the event. "I don't want them to get involved with alcohol and drugs because there's a lot of it on reserves, especially crystal meth, and it's scary."

Joyea knows that she has already been an inspiration to at least a few children-her own.

"I think my children are inspired by me because they're sober and they have jobs," said Joyea. "One of them is a teacher, another is a champion grass dancer."

Joyea found the strength to face her addictions and overcome them when her children-four girls and four boys-were nearly taken away from her because of her drinking.

"I sobered up in 1975 after I got court orders to abstain from alcohol and to attend an alcohol centre," said Joyea.

Joyea did as the court ordered. She went to a Regina alcohol centre on Nov. 21, 1975.

After a month or two in the centre, one of the counsellors got Joyea a job at an activity centre where she worked for approximately two years.

In 1977, she started working as a counsellor at a Native alcohol treatment centre in Regina. She worked there for nearly two years, then moved back to White Bear in 1979.

Soon, she was offered a position in Regina as a Native minister. Joyea accepted the position but said she wanted to go through the training, so she trained for five years. For two of those years, she received training from another minister on her reserve. Once she completed her training, she was certified as a Native reverend through the United Church of Canada and has now been with the Church in Regina for nine years.

Joyea gives some of the credit for success in remaining sober for all these years to the support she received from the Elders of her community.

"The Elders on my reserve are my good mentors because they were always there for me when I needed advice and I think that's how I made it," she said.

Allan Maxie, chief of White Bear First Nation, said this round dance means a great deal for both Joyea and the community.

"Not many people can say they quit for that amount of time," said Maxie. "This means quite a bit because of what she's accomplished as far as alcohol. I think she's an inspiration to the community members, especially if they are going to hear her talk about it. I'm proud of her accomplishments and I'm going to congratulate her in everything that she's done."