The Last Door addiction treatment centre in New Westminster is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and inviting the community to join the party on July 27 from noon to 6 p.m. at Queen's Park.
Clowns, face painting, live music, a free barbecue and games for both kids and adults will be part of the festivities that will mark the kickoff for The Last Door's year-long celebrations, stretching into 2014.
At any given time, there are about 300 people receiving services through The Last Door, for drugs, alcohol, nicotine, video gaming and gambling addictions.
"We're probably one of the most successful treatment centres around," said Giuseppe Ganci, director of community development, who credits the long-term community-oriented treatment model with helping thousands of patients since 1984. "Our goal is to get people to stop using drugs and alcohol, get involved in the recovery community and give back to a community."
Started with 20 beds, the licensed non-profit - which is funded through Fraser Health, with financial support from B.C. Gaming and private donations - now has 100 beds at several residences throughout New Westminster.
In-patients stay at the residences for a minimum of nine months, and sometimes up to a year or more, with the intention of immediately integrating into the community and abstaining from substance use, even nicotine.
"A lot of people have forgotten that abstinence is part of harm reduction," Ganci said. "There's been so much play in the media and so much play in the education system that harm reduction is only about needle exchanges and safe injection sites and so forth and, yes, that is harm reduction, but so is abstinence."
Building a supportive community that is integrated in the wider New Westminster community is an essential part of the recovery process, and one that The Last Door wants to acknowledge and celebrate this summer with the family fun day.
For more information, visit www.lastdoor.org.
mreid@royalcityrecord.com
