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Addiction continues to affect Canadians and their families, but with proper awareness, can place individuals on the right path of recovery.

Addiction continues to be an outlining problem within Canada, and many victims continue to suffer from substance abuse. There are some who have attempted to recover from addiction using rehabilitation centres, but victims continue to struggle.

That is where awareness is needed; with the support of their families, addicts can begin the steady pace to recover.

“In addiction, many families want their children to do something while quitting drugs,” said Marie Agioritis, a Saskatoon resident.

“However, this is not the case. With recovery you need to be patient to ensure that the victim can heal properly.”

Agioritis, an advocate and speaker of the Moms Stop the Harm movement, has been an active member since her son Kayle went through addiction.

“When he was trying to let go, he had serious problems,” Agioritis discussed her son’s issues with addiction.

“He needed someone to be an ally with, because he was being threatened by people he couldn’t pay for the drugs.” – Marie Agioritis

Agioritis went through many ordeals to protect her son from those who would harm her and her family.

“We had to deal with many things when he recovered,” Agioritis acknowledged her situation.

“Some people use the tough love method, but I couldn’t. I knew that I had to understand what he was going through and push forward, because trust was important.”

Agioritis has continued to support her son through five years of recovery, and continues to speak publicly about addiction.

“It needs to be spoken about,” Agioritis explained how addiction should be taught.

“There needs to be a public education on what addiction is, and how it manifests. People need to be aware more than what they are about how serious it is.”

Support is a very important factor to recovery, but it is not an easy process.

“When it comes to addiction awareness, it’s really hard.” said Joel DeRaaf, a Calgary resident and speaker of addiction.

“The trust you once had with them fades very quickly. When you recognize it as addiction, the relationship falters to a great extent.”

DeRaaf experienced similar problems with her son Corbin, who suffered from addiction for many years, until passing away from an overdose in 2018.

“I never gave up on him and I supported him when he looked for help,” DeRaaf discussed the experience.

“When he did ask for help, I could see some changes. There was recovery, and it worked for him for some time.”

DeRaaf ensured her son would get the best help possible, and also underwent her own study on addiction.

“Going to courses helped me understand that it wasn’t my doing,” DeRaaf explained her perspective.

“As a mother, you feel responsible. But when you’re taught that you are not the cause, it is a huge realization.”

DeRaaf continues to honour her son after he passed, and continues to speak about addiction awareness.

“I believe that the best way to acknowledge it as a huge mental health issue is talking about it,” DeRaaf exclaimed about addiction.

“The more we can talk about addiction; it can be acknowledged and it can help with healing our community and those at risk.”

Concerned Calgarians are taking precautions in preparation for Halloween.

In light of the new regulations set by the city as a response to COVID-19, Halloween has become increasingly difficult to prepare for, with some choosing not to celebrate at all.

However, some of Calgary’s residents still believe there should still be a chance to celebrate the holiday despite the current situation with the pandemic.

“We’re trying to figure out a way that’s the safest for us to carry on with it,” said Allison McRae, a Calgarian preparing for Halloween. “I personally don’t think it should go on, but I’m not going to deny the kids who stop by.”

McRae takes into consideration the contact that is involved while handing out treats for trick-or-treaters. She plans to maintain social distancing while participating in the event and ensures that the treats she will hand out can be done so safely.

Despite her hopes to have a few kids stop by, McRae however is prepared for little to no visitors.

“We’ll be pulling away early in the night, so we don’t have too many issues,” said McRae.

“I won’t stop anyone who wants to enjoy the fun,”

Other Calgarians also have plans in regards as to how they plan to celebrate the holiday.

“My family is preparing for any outcome,” said Elisa Revoy, a Calgarian who plans to celebrate Halloween. “We’re taking any kind of precautions seriously, so we don’t have any trouble.”

Revoy, who has a young son planning to trick-or-treat, has been preparing for the event with caution.

“I’m worried about my son,” said Revoy.“I don’t want him to contract anything, so we want to do what we can with limited contact.”

Revoy expressed her confusion as to how the holiday would continue despite the new health regulations that the city has put in place, making it harder to participate in the event.

“We were left a bit in the dark this season. We were unsure if Halloween was going to happen at all.”

While planning to proceed with the necessary cautions, Revoy hopes to enjoy the holiday she and her son both love.

“We decided that we would continue to celebrate when it became clear that Halloween was happening,” said Revoy. “My son loves Halloween, and we both enjoy the season quite thoroughly. I go all out during Halloween.”

Revoy has also been making other preparations in the case that celebrating Halloween could be unsafe.

“If anything does happen, we will be staying at home,” said Revoy.

“Many of the neighbors have decided not to participate. But, we’ll still try to do something together to enjoy the season even if we can’t do anything else.”