Five Airports in one day is always a bit challenging. The photo above is our walk up to the famous Buffalo Airways (Ice Pilots) plane to leave Yellowknife for Hay River.
I had an interesting chat on the plane with a young fellow who works in Yellowknife. He made a couple of really interesting comments when he asked what we were doing up here. He said he couldn’t understand why people would want to get into drugs and alcohol up here because it is so beautiful and there is so much to do and explore. He said “they should get a camera and go out and take pictures.” He is also a photographer. He also said that it bothers him when he hears people complain about individuals with drug or alcohol issues. He said “they are all part of our community so we should be doing something to try and help.” Good point!!
The stigma that surrounds substance problems and the stigma that surrounds mental health issues is as much of a problem as the problem. People feel shame and embarrassment which is a barrier to seeking help and generally makes both conditions worse. A big part of what Drug Class is always trying to do is to bring things out in the open so that they are OK to talk about and OK to do something about.
Stay tuned.
