Exclusive: Premier Smith & youth who have survived addiction talk hope & recovery

Last time Rebel News visited the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC), we spoke with the incredible facility staff, and we had the opportunity to tour the spaces and amenities at their Calgary campus where lives are being saved every day.

It was incredible to learn how many of the staff at AARC had either used or had a family member use the addiction recovery programs they provide before deciding to work there.

It is hard to understand what it is to struggle with addiction, or to have a family member struggle with addiction, without having lived through that experience personally, which it would seem is a major factor in AARC's incredible success in helping youth and adolescents reclaim their lives and reject addiction. You can watch that full report on rejecting addiction and restoring hope by clicking here.

This time around, we dropped in during AARC’s Stampede Breakfast, one of the many community activities youth in treatment, their families, staff, alumni and recovered graduates participate in. We spoke with those who have battled through and continue to battle addiction and their families to learn about the personal costs of addiction and the importance of prioritizing recovery, not in concept, but in the very real life or death situations these incredible individuals were willing to share with us.

We can advocate for recovery, for help not harm, as much as we want, but when a young man or woman who has lived through the hell of it, faced overdoses, nearly died and endured a litany of other horrors few of us will even imagine in our lifetimes looks you in the eye and says they would not be here without a place like AARC, the renewed push by Alberta’s government for these types of support systems becomes, or at least should become, a principal emphasis.

Premier Danielle Smith, a passionate advocate for recovery, is an ardent supporter of the incredible work being done at AARC, and she set aside some time from her busy Stampede schedule to join us so we could discuss her government's ongoing efforts to provide the support, programs and beds required to ensure that a path to recovery, the only hopeful and compassionate response to addiction, is available to any Albertan who might be struggling with addiction.

We also were fortunate to be joined by Member of Parliament for Calgary-Midnapore Stephanie Kusie who echoed the Alberta premier’s sentiments about the importance and need for world class facilities that understand addiction and aspire to help people overcome the disease.

To learn more about the need for life-saving, recovery-oriented policies, and the importance of rejecting state-funded addiction via so-called “safe”-supply models, go to HelpNotHarm.ca.