Our House is a program to help people overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol, but it is also more than that. One of the goals of the program is outreach, to help raise awareness and get people to overcome their problems. For the fifth year, Our House has held an annual Roll-a-thon event, where mentors speak to students in area schools before roller blading from Yorkton to Esterhazy.
Last week several people from the Our House program in Vancouver were in Yorkton to speak to students about their lives before and after they went to Our House, telling of their lows and the difference that taking steps to confront addictions and get clean has made.
One of the common themes to the stories was that people turned to drugs and alcohol when they didn't feel comfortable discussing their emotions with others. As a result, it is a major step for the speakers to get in front of a large audience and tell them about the problems in their lives.
"Those guys had a hard time talking one on one with people, let alone talking to an entire school... The big thing I keep saying is to focus on the fact that there might be one girl or one guy out there that you can reach, and that will take away all your nervousness. Just talk like you're talking to one person, and hopefully that message will get through to them," says Norm Sharkey of Our House.
That prediction was accurate, as some students came after the presentation to ask for some help dealing with their own problems. Since difficulty discussing their emotions is such a common theme, Gerry Oake of the local Our House program, notes that he is surprised but grateful when a student of an Our House mentor comes up to them after a presentation. While reaching out to them is the goal, he knows that it takes a lot of courage to come up and admit they need to talk.
"It's a miracle when people come up and say they want to talk about things like this," Oake admits.
The hope is that even people who are still not comfortable talking about their problems consider what has been said at the presentation, and are able to get the courage to make a difference in their lives. One of the services Our House offers is online support meetings, to allow people to talk while also allowing some anonymity for people to feel more comfortable.
The online meetings are important for another reason, Oake says, as they allow people to stay connected with others in the program no matter where they are, and they continue to have the support base whether they are in the house or far away. Keeping that support is something which Oake feels is indispensable for keeping everyone clean.
Our House's eventual goal is to get a house in the Esterhazy area where they can run the program and help people break their addictions.
More information on Our House can be found at www.sanity365.com.
