Experiences of addiction and recovery to be shared at special Donegal event

Personal experiences of addiction and recovery are to be shared at a special event  in Donegal to mark  recovery month.

Donegal-based Alcohol Forum Ireland is hosting the event on Friday at the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny which it describes as “a diverse and inclusive celebration of recovery”.

Recover Month is aimed at celebrating the gains made by all those in recovery from addiction.

Up to 100 people are booked to attend the event, including members of the Traveller, African, Palestinian and Polish communities in Donegal.

Among those attending the event are Senator Eileen Flynn, the first member of the Traveller community to become a member of the Oireachtas; Gary Rutherford, recovery champion and founder of ARC Fitness in Derry; Tolulope Babatunde from MindEase which provides mental health supports to new communities, and Barbara Ozga from CKU’s Polish alcohol service, which although Dublin-based, provides supports to Polish clients across the North West through their online counselling service.  

Speaking ahead of the event, which takes place On September 27  9.30am and 1pm,  Alcohol Forum Ireland CEO Paula Leonard highlighted the need for conversations and events like those planned for Friday.

“Everybody knows somebody who has lost someone through addiction or has been negatively impacted by a loved one’s alcohol or other drug use,” she said.

“We all have friends, neighbours, work colleagues or family members who have experienced or are living with addiction. And yet, when addiction touches us in a personal way, people find it difficult, sometimes almost impossible to find ways to talk about their experiences.   Recovery month is a time to make recovery visible, to challenge stigma and to support people to have conversations about their journeys, their achievements and their struggles on the road to recovery.   And our key message ahead of Friday is that recovery is for everybody.”