York father on addiction at Inclusive Recovery City launch

John Turton said he watched his son Dan struggle with alcohol and drug abuse since he was a teenager and his family were forgotten by society.

But he added his son was now turning his life around thanks to the York In Recovery organisation.

The father and York In Recovery director’s comments came at an event marking City of York Council’s commitment to become an Inclusive Recovery City.

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The commitment involves working to tackle stigma and supporting people who are struggling with addiction at work, in education and in their communities.

Representatives from more than 150 businesses, organisations and local authorities came together to hear from people who had experienced addiction and organisations trying to help them.

Council health spokesperson Cllr Lucy Steels-Walshaw and public health lead Peter Roderick signed a charter which commits the authority to align its policies towards those aims.

The event, at the LNER Community Stadium on Wednesday, April 29, also saw the exhibiting of the Stitch Away The Stigma tapestry featuring messages from people who have experienced addiction.

York In Recovery Director Mr Turton said his 45-year-old son fell into addiction from the age of 13.

He added he had been recovering for three years.

Mr Turton said: “He was addicted to alcohol, drugs, anything he could get his hands on, it was very difficult to live with.

“We were lost as a family, no one wanted to help us and we were stigmatised.

“Now our life is filled with hope and joy now, it’s a long way from where we were in the past.

“Addiction is an illness and society should start to recognise that, people suffer from the stigma society puts them through.

“Families should be helped as well because they’re totally ignored, no one’s there to educate us and help us understand what addiction’s all about.

“We’ve got to support people after the detox and after rehab, because when people come out of treatment that’s only the beginning.

“My son’s very stable now, York In Recovery helped him find other things to do and he’s working with refugees on a cookery programme and helping other addicts on their journey because he understands what it’s like.”

City of York Council Health Executive Member Cllr Lucy Steels-Walshaw (left) and Public Health Director Peter Roderick (right) signing the Inclusive Recovery City charter (Image: City of York Council)

Mark Green, also a director of York in Recovery and manager of York Community Hub, said the perception that addicts were bad people had to change.

Mr Green, who also previously struggled with addiction, said: “There’s always trauma and pain, this is the start of the work that needs to happen.

“There’s this phrase- death from dismay, a few weeks ago we attended a friend’s funeral and my other friend and I tried every trick in my book to but my book wasn’t big enough.

“The recovery and treatment system is all needed and essential but it’s never enough, it pains me to think our friend passed away and won’t even be recognised or acknowledged by the data.

“Stigma and that sense of shame used to hurt me too, we’ve got to double down and fight it for other people so their journeys are easier.”

Peter Roderick, the council’s public health director, said the voice of those struggling with and recovering from addiction needed to be heard.

The public health director said: “It’s not been an easy journey to get to where we are now, we need to make sure the stigma people face is challenged and pushed back on.

“The whole city needs to come on this journey and visibility is so important, if we don’t make recovery visible the stigma will continue.”

Cllr Steels-Walshaw said honesty was needed about the work that needed to be done.

The executive member said: “For more than 20 years I worked in drug and alcohol services and I sat with people who were trying to rebuild their lives.

“Stigma is alive in our city, I’ve lost count of the amount of people I’ve known and cared deeply for who had so much potential but were met with shame rather than support.

“The opposite of addiction is being involved in your community, people facing addiction challenges aren’t strangers, they’re our friends, families and colleagues.”