Cape Town - Hundreds of people who have battled and recovered from all forms of addictions and mental illnesses, or have supported a loved one through their journey, gathered to celebrate their recoveries with a recovery walk over the weekend.
The ninth 5km Recovery Walk, under the volunteer-run community organisation, Recovery Walk Cape Town in partnership with Liberty Home, commenced at the Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital in Mitchells Plain on Saturday.
The Recovery Walk takes place annually in September, recognised as International Recovery Month.
The event hall was the epicentre of vibrancy and activity with organisations such as the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Grandmothers Against Poverty and Aids, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Apisa Awareness Programmes in Substance Abuse, Freeway Ministries, the Shumeez Scott Foundation, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Cedars Private Addiction Treatment Centre, Life Righting Collective and others offered resources and support.
Recovery Walk committee member Debbie Bub said the walk celebrated recovery and was strongly anti-stigma.
“We want to turn the lens from looking at these problems to say hold on, in your community, all over Cape Town, all over the world, there are people that have found a way to manage their problems, to find a way to deal with their addiction, to deal with their mental illness, and we should be celebrating them, looking to these people as a resource,” Bub said.
“This is a gathering of hundreds of people who are proud of their recovery and open about the fact that they’ve had a struggle and have managed to find a way to come through.”
Bub welcomed people who want to reach out to the organisation, should they want to find out more or to donate.
More than 250 people from across Cape Town joined the walk with posters of support and encouragement.
Portland, Mitchells Plain resident Rushana Hendricks struggled with addiction for 19 years and is celebrating 14 years of sobriety.
“I am out here to show that people can change. In the past, that stigma of drug addiction stayed with you for the rest of your life.
“For me, it’s not about what I’ve done in the past, but what I’ve done to change. It was quite difficult for me to come from an active addiction and having to make that change because that wasn’t normal for me,” said Hendricks.
“I was practically living on the streets having to ask people for food, standing on the corners asking for money at the petrol station.
“When I think back, I’ve done a lot of things like that, but it’s all because of my addiction. I came into Narcotics Anonymous. That was the first step, admitting that I had a problem, but it wasn’t that easy because I used to go back and forth.”
She attributed her successful recovery to God, the support of her family and NA.
“The support was there and in a lot of cases, when I look at other families, the support is not there.”
Apisa founder Shireen Prins conducts substance abuse programmes at various schools in Mitchells Plain.
“My life was affected by alcoholism and that is why I decided to do this.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za