Well, ma'am, it's pretty simple: My kids wouldn't be on the planet. They came after 2013.
The real big picture of it is that it's truly humbling. What I was struggling with was a lot of childhood trauma throughout my life and how I viewed myself as a person in society. Having the people in the supervised consumption site...it was overwhelming. They were always the ones constantly giving me options, talking to me about detox and talking to me about recovery. I really built a relationship with those nurses there. They cared. They cared more than I cared. That's why I kept coming back.
I was good at getting sober. I was just never good at staying sober. It took me a long time, but without the support of that supervised consumption site, I wouldn't be celebrating Father's Day. I wouldn't be celebrating anything I do. There are the impacts I've also had from the school talks and the wisdom that I can pass on to these kids so that they don't fall down the same path as mine and so that, if they are struggling, they do reach out.
It's been absolutely a very humbling experience, but I accept my past for what it was. I try to really have a balance of understanding. You know, there are a lot of people who just use drugs and don't have an addiction, and I don't want them to die. Having facilities that support all pathways and all people as individuals is vital.