Cages: Addiction Awareness Through Art
This weekend I attended the Addiction Awareness Through Art exhibition held at the college and hosted by the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition.
The artwork was thought provoking and moving, displaying a lot of emotion.
I especially liked the concept of the masks created by the people enrolled at the Medicine Hat Recovery Centre - they are two sided.
“The outside represents how the world sees them or what they show to the world, the inside represents the parts of themselves they hide away or keep secret.”
The masks are turned over in the order that they appear on the table.
This is their first exhibition. The organizers were encouraged by the amount of pieces of artwork they received. They plan to expand it next year.
Puzzle Pieces
Human Impact - by Shelley Ewing (Explanation)
The drive to acquire, to propose a place for oneself in society by collection of material possessions, has driven manufacturing and productions to new levels The target for larger profits has towered over any consideration of the damage to our environment and repercussions on humanity and our societal structures. Consumerism exacerbates the severity of climate change. In Canada forest fires are one of the first highly visible impacts (depicted in the upper left area0.
Consumerism drives the economy to new heights, affecting the cost of living. It further alienated demographics of people that can no longer afford basic food and housing needs. I met Cory in Medicine Hat and spoke with him about his homelessness.
All his personal possessions, bagged and contained ina cart. He was on a grassy area in front of the mall. As people returned to their cars with shiny bags full of new purchases, he struggled o]to find food every say, Commercial signs abound, “shop, buy more use credit,”, juxtaposed against and in contrast to his simple sign asking for anything to help. As Consumerism spins forward, out of control, it will manifest in more environmental and societal problems that will have real humanitarian costs. The more money we spend will elevate the level of taxpayer dollars required to mitigate these damages, and to address the human impact.
Medicine Hat Drug Coalition
VISION STATEMENT
A community of compassion and dignity for those in active addiction, those in recovery and those in need of support.
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Medicine Hat Drug Coalition
VISION STATEMENT
A community of compassion and dignity for those in active addiction, those in recovery and those in need of support.
Post script - This subject speaks to me. My father is an alcoholic. He was in active addiction when I was a child; it was a main cause of my parents breaking up. (My mom felt guilty that we did not have both parents in the same home but realistically it was the best thing that could have happened. )
I tried my best to get my dad to stop drinking, thinking if he really loved me he would stop. I moved in with him when I was about 16 after he had told me that he was depressed; I was in fear for his life. My one condition to moving in was that he would stop drinking. This was a chance for me to be a saviour, what teen could resist such power?
It worked for a short time.
Then he said “I won’t drink before 5pm”.
Then it was “I won’t drink before noon”.
When he got up in the morning and poured alcohol in his coffee mug, I packed my bags.
I was incredibly angry at him, thinking he deliberately lied to me. I actually hated him for a long time until I came to realize that it was a disease. I also realized that for me to try to save my dad was beyond my capability, I did not have the skills or necessary training to do it.
Dad eventually quit drinking and has been in recovery for well over 30 years. I saw him relapse a few years ago but that relapse was short-lived. One hangover was enough for him to remember how bad it made him feel. (That will not work for everyone.)
NB - I no longer use the word hate when it comes to people. I realized how toxic the emotion was for me and my dad was not even around to appreciate how much I hated him. Now - I might despise, detest or abhor a person, I might hate their behaviour but I will no longer hate them.
Addiction is a family disease. If your loved one is in active addiction, make sure to take care of yourself - help is available. Alberta Health Services has a good list of where to find it. Kelly
