For Sooke's Beth Haywood, the life-changing connections she made with people on her road to recovery from substance abuse, meant more to her than just support – it was survival.
“My advice to anyone struggling is to keep trying,” said Haywood in an Island Health news release. “It’s tough, but find that one person who believes in you. I know it can feel impossible, but there is hope, and there is help."
Now six years sober and a peer coordinator with Island Health, Haywood has shared her recovery story as part of National Addictions Awareness Week, which runs between Nov. 24 to 30.
The theme this year is ‘Forging Connections’, highlighting the critical role relationships play in healing, something Haywood describes as the cornerstone of her journey.
Long-lost family, health-care professionals, old acquaintances and a desire to stay connected with those closest to her, all played a part, says Haywood.
First introduced to crack cocaine by her boyfriend at the time, Hayward says she was hooked within six months. Her addiction serving as a way to numb the pain of past traumas, including her mother's murder.
When she was 15, Hayward’s mother, a social worker in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, was killed by a client.
Haywood struggled with substance use for 20 years. The turning point in her life, she says, was the loss of connection with her grandchildren.
She had been living with her grandchildren when they were removed by the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
“I had to have supervised access to my grandkids,” said Haywood. “That was the worst thing in the world. It was unbearable. I wanted to be a present, positive force in their lives. I knew something had to change.”
Haywood made multiple attempts to start her journey back to health at a recovery house. But it took a chance encounter for Haywood to stay put and get the help she needed.
“When I went to a recovery house again, by chance, my dad’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor was working, and he recognized my name,” she said. “I relapsed but he made sure I had the guidance I needed. I stayed there for more than a year and a half.”
Along the road to recovery, Haywood connected with Dr. Randal Mason, the current regional medical director of addiction medicine and substance use at Island Health, who she met when she began methadone treatment at a health centre in Victoria.
The doctor, who still sees Haywood as a patient, says there is nothing more important to someone’s recovery than making long-term connections.
“When someone is willing to open up about their substance use, as well as loss and trauma, it’s important to understand their vulnerability, which helps create a trusting and compassionate relationship,” said Mason.
Another “huge part” of Haywood’s recovery was reconnecting with a long-lost relative, who she had not spoken to in 40 years.
The pair found each other again when Haywood’s photo appeared in a newspaper article about an overdose-related art project in Langford.
"When I found my auntie Carol, I felt like I had a connection to my mom again," Haywood said. "That bond is now a source of strength for me.”
Now working as a peer project coordinator, Haywood is the one forging relationships with people who use substances, helping connect them with information and resources.
“I love being able to support and help people,” she said. “I like seeing people smile, knowing I helped someone. I am my mother's daughter.”
Island Health offers a range of safe, trauma-informed and culturally safe services for people seeking to manage their substance use.
Services offered include prevention and early intervention, counselling, medications to treat substance use disorder and services for detox, treatment and recovery.
For local support and resources visit: www.islandhealth.ca/our-services/mental-health-substance-use-services.
To learn more about National Addictions Awareness Week and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, visit the website: www.ccsa.ca/national-addictions-awareness-week.
