Supporters of Rally for Recovery day marched through downtown Kelowna Sunday afternoon to raise awareness of the issues surrounding drug and alcohol addiction.
This was the second annual Rally for Recovery day in Kelowna. It was a combined effort between Kelowna and Vernon.
About 50 people filled Stuart Park after 12 p.m. to hear speakers such as Coun Mohini Singh and Vernon Mayor Rob Sawatsky speak before the march through downtown took place. Many more were expected throughout the day.
Doug Mackenzie is the owner of Options Okanagan Treatment Centre. He said Rally for Recovery is about reducing the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery.
"It's all about not being so anonymous anymore," he said. "Everyone has an idea of what addiction looks like on people; a lot of it is people that are down and out, living on the streets and in poverty. But, the truth of it is that most people who are addicted are in the workforce and in business."
Mackenzie said that there are tons of people that one might interact with on a daily basis and not know they're in recovery. This is all about normalizing the recovery process and breaking down the stereotypes.
"It takes that whole group of people to start showing their faces so others can know, this is what recovery looks like," he said.
Dawn Kuehn is the organizer of Rally for Recovery in Kelowna. She has not used drugs or alcohol in more than 16 years and is now a family lawyer in Kelowna with her own practice.
"I went on a yoga retreat with one of the founders from Vancouver. I live in Kelowna so it just made sense to have a recovery day in Kelowna," she said. "A lot of people in recovery, they're still hesitant about coming forward and being open about their recovery. That's part of the stigma we're trying to break."
Kuehn hopes Recovery Day will continue to grow in popularity in Canada like it has in the US, where they have had a recovery awareness month for more than 20 years.
Last year in Philadelphia she said more than 20,000 people joined in the march.
"Being in recovery is not a weakness, it's a strength to admit you have a problem. By building awareness we might encourage other people to admit they have a problem and to seek help and realize that recovery is possible - we're the evidence."
Dale Disimone has been in recovery for three years and says his whole life has turned around.
Now he plays in a band and wants to give back by raising awareness.
"Some people aren't aware of the disease factor of it, some people think it's a choice," he said. "I just like to see the change in people. Get clean and do whatever it takes - everything good, that's what recovery stands for, for me."