Our Stories
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Our Stories
Rebecca Brooks
London, Ontario
I am a forty-six year strong woman. I prefer to be called human though some insist the label addict would do. I have addictions; I am recovering, always, from a few of them. I work with injection drug users, drug smokers, drug ingestors, drug drinkers, high-risk individuals, marginalized and stigmatized by themselves and by society. I believe that the language of treatment must change as we move toward eliminating stigma and creating an atmosphere where we who have walked the walk of craving, addiction, and pain can hand over and give a hand up to those struggling with the commitment to reduce or stop their drug use. I have not abused any drug in ten years. Drugs have not been the cause of a problem in my life for twenty years. I have "triggers" which lead me to cravings every day of my life.
I have raised three children, earned two college degrees in addiction treatment and psychology respectively. I have worked in the recovery community as employee and am now devoted to teaching harm reduction & self-advocacy skills.
I am supporting and working to promote change in the drug policies of the United States War on Drugs and its continued promotion of the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders.
As a street outreach volunteer I strive to support and be a safe contact for all who suffer from addiction and those who simply choose to use.
I am grateful to say that I am a member and Certified Methadone Advocate (CMA) training co-ordinator for the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates - NAMA. The Speaker's Bureau contact for L.E.A.P. in Canada (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), and a long-standing member of Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) - all of whom strive daily to bring recognition to the need for drug policy reform.
I do not say, “I have been clean for x number of years,” I was never dirty. I want to thank Faces & Voices of Recovery for making the platform for all of us possible!
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