As a community newspaper, we are limited in what we are able to cover. We don't write about national or international events.
A major happening in Prince Albert or Saskatoon is outside our jurisdiction.
Other stories will always make the newspaper. Good news of any kind is always welcome, even if it concerns incredibly trivial matters. Crime statistics will always be reported, as will cultural goings-on.
But other stories don't make the newspaper, or the public more generally. Nearly all Canadians have either experienced addictions personally or had contact with someone else who has. Whether because of shame, fear, privacy or some combination of the three, most of these stories are never told to anyone.
Allan Kehler is one of many who seeks to bring awareness to this serious issue. A former gambling addict, he now works with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology and as an addictions counsellor. His work, and the story of his recovery, has led to interviews with the CBC, Global News, OMNI TV and various newspapers.
Battlefords Tribal Council Health contacted Kehler to speak around the Battlefords prior to Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, May 7 to 11. His busy schedule had him visiting Little Pine, Poundmaker, Sweetgrass, Cando, Mosquito, Red Pheasant and Moosomin, as well as Sakewew High School here in the Battlefords.
Scheduling confusion forced Kehler to shorten his presentation, so his delivery was more terse than he was used to. But his speech still covered a wide range of subjects - substance abuse in oneself and in others, gambling addiction, suicide, recovery.
Through it all, Kehler positioned himself not as an authority or a lecturer, but humbly, as someone who had struggled with the same problems he described and had known others with the same trouble. Unlike so many other speakers, his intention was not to "scare the students straight," but to teach them that help can be found.
The many statistics that peppered his presentation worked as supports rather than full-fledged arguments.
Having a room full of high school students sit still and listen to a presentation is like herding cats. Regardless of the size or composition of the group, there will always be students who would rather be somewhere else. In this sense, Kehler accomplished the impossible. As his descriptions became more vivid and his subject matter became more personal, the full cafetorium became gradually more sombre. The room was frequently punctuated by sobs.
Addictions are part of the human condition. There have been, and always will be addicts, though the behaviours and substances might change over the years. Kehler's presentation focused, however, on the more uplifting fact that every addiction can eventually be overcome.
