Pubdate: Thu, 01 Aug 2013
Source: Georgia Straight, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Georgia Straight
Contact:  http://www.straight.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1084
Author: Guy Felicella
Note: Guy Felicella is recovering in Surrey.

HOW INSITE AND ONSITE SAVED A VANCOUVER DRUG ADDICT

I am writing in regard to the article written by Licia Corbella in 
the Calgary Herald about Insite in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. My 
handle at Insite is ODAT-it means one day at a time.

I have used drugs since 1991 and started injecting them in 1997. I 
used in back alleys, all day and every day. I became consumed by 
heroin and truly believed that there was no hope for me.

Heroin was my friend. It never judged me; it was always warm and made 
me feel like I could do anything.

The DTES is a tough place for anyone, but it is one place where 
everyone who doesn't fit in is accepted and I fit right in. I'm one 
of the lucky ones who escaped without catching HIV even after using 
in the dirtiest of places, but when you're addicted you don't care 
about health. Most people would use others' needles and share hits of 
drugs, but I always thought it wasn't worth it so I used my own 
stuff, never sharing.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it became so bad in the DTES with 
overdoses and HIV spreading at a rapid pace. There were handfuls of 
people handing out clean needles, but most would just share and it 
began to look pretty bad for all addicts downtown.

In 2003 Insite came into the picture and I was one of the first 
people to sign up. The staff there preached of a safe environment and 
a place where you can use in safety.

In 2009, 484 overdoses occurred with no fatalities, thanks to the 
nurses' interventions. I learned so much from the staff there and I 
finally felt like someone cared. You can really feel the love.

In a place where it seemed impossible to get clean, people now had 
the choice to change their lives. If you wanted the help, it was 
right upstairs. I have been a part of the recovery program at Onsite 
on more than one occasion, and every time I started using again, the 
staff never judged me. They would always say "Next time you'll do it."

In fact, they have saved my life on three occasions, twice in one 
day. I did a lethal dose of heroin and was dead for six minutes and 
53 seconds. The nurse Sara brought me back and I remember waking up 
and crying, telling her I didn't want to use anymore. So back 
upstairs to Onsite treatment I went. What people don't understand is 
how hard recovery can be-and I left once again. The staff at Onsite 
still supported me; they never gave up on me even when I had given on myself.

In December of 2012 I became suicidal and lost my desire to live. A 
nurse at Insite named Cookie took time out of her day to calm me 
down, and it was her kind words that inspired me to give it another 
try. So the journey began again, and I stopped using on March 18, 2013.

I'm currently in a treatment centre and this is the most work I have 
ever done on myself. It is because of God and Insite/Onsite that I am 
where I am today. If they didn't exist in my life, I wouldn't be here 
and neither would many.

They care so much about human life from the front desk all the way 
down to the chill room. They give hope to people who live and 
struggle with addiction. They care if you use, they care if you want 
to get clean, they care period. They give you options and choices and 
it is up to you, but at least the choice is there now because before 
Insite and Onsite, there was no choice but to use or die.

Society puts so much emphasis on the fact that drug users are bad, 
but we are human beings. Doesn't everyone deserve the right to get 
clean or to use in a safe environment with the support of kind staff 
that will break their backs to help you?

You see, compassion is the answer. Never give up on someone because 
you never know when your kind gesture might inspire them to get 
clean. I know it worked for me and it can work for countless others. 
Onsite is the best thing that has ever happened to Vancouver and I 
would go to any length to support it. After all, the staff there 
inspired me to get my life back.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom