The Power of Grizzlies

As I have said before, to change attitudes about addiction and mental illness we need to reach those who don’t have lived experience. Around the Recovery Council table while discussing how best to reach the public, I said Amelia Curran’s celebrity packed production of You Are Not alone/Everything’s Going To Be Ok had more impact than any media release or marketing campaign could ever have in NL. Government news releases with a list of what has been done to improve services will rarely get the attention of the public. Maybe at election time when politicians are listing accomplishments, some of us pay attention but the campaigns that really help change stigma, are those launched by celebrities in the entertainment business or stories told through entertainment. Television, music, movies etc. all have more impact and affect the public on an emotional level.

This is just one comment about Amelia’s video which illustrates the power entertainment’s messages can have on individuals,

“It’s so gentle, and very simple, and perfect message, to combat the stigma that me and my peers face, and on a daily basis too! – I am a campaigner myself and I can quite honestly say that; In 19 years of exposure to campaign stuff! I have never seen anything more beautiful and perfect, than this video and contribution against stigma.”

This week Christopher and I attended a screening of The Grizzlies. “In a small Arctic town struggling with the highest suicide rate in North America, a group of Inuit students’ lives are transformed when they are introduced to the sport of lacrosse.” (My strong belief in the positive influence sports have on mental illness is a whole other blog this movie can speak to as well but for now, my topic is the power of entertainment.)

Two artists from The Grizzlies, actress, Emerald MacDonald (amazingly powerful performance!) and rapper, Hyper T were present at the screening and shared personal experiences following the movie. Both these individuals and this movie were extremely inspiring. Unfortunately, only a small few of us showed up to watch, but I can say with 100% surety those who did, benefited greatly from the movie and sharing that followed. I know at least two people in the room attempted suicide as teens right here in Gander; so, the subject matter was very relevant and touching.

A movie about a small “town struggling with the highest suicide rate in North America” may sound like a tragic tale riddled with sadness but this movie is so much the opposite. Hope, optimism, motivation, collaboration, community engagement, leadership, strength, positive attitude, dedication, work ethic, commitment and many other positive themes are all showcased in this film from a youth perspective in a time of extreme adversity. Those things are lacking in all communities even in the best of times; so how can we not be inspired by a group of youth overcoming obstacles and finding strength in community. Even the amazing teacher, Russ Sheppard, who was the stimulus for change was not the real hero, the heroes were the youth who bonded together as a community, focused on common goals, never gave up and believed they could succeed, and despite this being a sports movie, success is not measured by winning. These are messages all of us need to hear over and over again but no matter how many times we preach such values to our loved ones, seeing a real-life story portrayed the way The Grizzlies is, has ten times the impact.

One thing I have always admired about Christopher is how impressed I am with his resilience in the face of adversity. The unimaginable trauma he faced due to his addiction last year had the potential to push him over the edge, but we are witnessing his strength and courage as he continues to live his life amongst us. We are so grateful for his presence in our lives and see gratitude as a catalyst for happiness.

While our province was mourning the loss of one of our most prolific song writers, Ron Hynes, a celebrity most NLers are grateful for, his nephew, Joel Hynes, also a celebrity, took the opportunity to write about Ron’s struggles with addiction. Again, the impact is more powerful coming from celebrities about celebrities, especially someone like Ron Hynes who has touched our lives with his music for so long.

Excerpts from Joel Thomas Hynes’ post (Nov. 24/15) on Facebook about Ron’s death

“… Personally, I’ve never experienced such bottomless grief and my heart goes out to all his many loved ones – family, friends and admirers of his music and enigmatic character.
Ron was a fiercely ambitious, prolific artist, a wondrous man with a brilliant gift, no contest. But while his passing is still fresh in everyone’s hearts and minds, I’m feeling a sense of duty to offer up a hard truth that’s being downplayed or overlooked in all this – the reality of what his battle has been these past years. Yes he had cancer, but cancer was a seemingly inevitable symptom of the much darker, much more aggressive, hungrier “disease” of addiction. Ron died with next to nothing left, emotionally estranged from those who tried their best to reach him, materially destitute, spiritually adrift, physically shattered. It was beyond shocking how much he resembled his father on his deathbed. Except my grandfather was 92 years old, and for all that, grandfather had a bit more light in his eyes… Ron had no property to call his own, had sold all his priceless, historic guitars for a pittance to feed his demons and line the pockets of drug dealers… Despite what you may have heard, or thought, or hoped, he remained a hardcore addict right to his final days. And it killed him. That’s what killed him. He passed the point where he was strong enough to save himself…

…Ten years ago Newfoundland was suddenly a “have” province. Oil money, people coming home in droves to work. And with all that money came more drugs than our little island could possibly cope with… HMP is busting at the seams, a crumbling cesspool of violence and drugs blocked full of Newfoundland boys from little towns on the Southern Shore, Placentia Bay, Trinity Bay, St. Mary’s Bay, who are not gifted like Ron, who don’t have the adulation of thousands of people, boys with nothing and no one in their lives to offer them the help they need. And 99 percent of them are locked up because of drugs and alcohol and mental illness. …. I don’t know what can be done from here on, what demands can be made, but surely someone out there possesses the heart and the charisma and the tenacity and the selflessness to exact some change where it’s needed most. You know someone right now who is suffering like Ron suffered. Don’t let another day pass. Educate yourself. Stand up. Demand a better outcome…. Wishing you all peace and resilience and good health on all your journeys, and as Ron would say – safe home. Xxx jth”

(Funny Ron’s saying was, “Safe home” as that is what saves a lot of addicts and keeps them here to fight another day…. again, this could be a whole other blog someday about the importance of a safe home and housing first philosophies.)

Joel Thomas Hynes felt compelled to share about addiction at a time he was observing our province’s mourning of his famous uncle. His lived experience comes out in his writing and art in many ways. I remember debating with a friend in 2006 about Joel Hynes’ book, Down to the Dirt. I described it as a book about addiction and coming of age to a friend who asked what is was about. Another friend who already read it, chimed in and said, “Addicton?! There’s nothing about addiction in Down to the Dirt”… the debate went on from there of course and to this day I haven’t convinced that person, who is a huge Joel Hynes fan, that a lot of Joel’s writing is about addiction and the struggles that follow.

Entertainment and social media have become the mediums which have the most impact on the public. That is the age we are living in. Smart individuals are doing great research and making strides in understanding mental health and addictions but without that “five minute message” or celebrity endorsement they will never reach the masses. Bruce Alexander is a Canadian leader in addictions research and could be called a celebrity in that community but his acclaimed book, The Globalizaton of Addiction, is a long academic read which most of us will lose interest in (I think I’m less than half way through and I started it over a year ago!). However, the five-minute video, Rat Park, on the YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell allows Alexander’s message to be spread easily and provides an outlet for educating the public about his addictions research.

The entertainment industry has the power to change attitudes and reach the masses. This year’s best picture nominations at the Oscars include eight movies, most of which share real stories about injustice, marginalization, the affects of community and politics and the barriers that exist in society. If you work in the entertainment industry and can use your medium to tell an addictions story or your voice to endorse the plight of addictions awareness then please do so, especially if you are from our great province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Thank you to all who are doing so and a special thank you for whoever arranged the screening of The Grizzlies and visit from Emerald MacDonald and Hyper T in Gander, NL.

I do believe we can all learn from sharing our struggles publicly, even us nobodies who are living with the affects of addictions; but we can not ignore our culture and the fact that more people will pay attention when the stories are shared by celebrities in the entertainment industry. Maybe not, Jenny McCarthy, with the anti vax campaign or Paul McCartney, with the anti seal hunt protest, and definitely not, Kanye West, who endorsed Trump but a huge THANK YOU to those who use their famous voices to educate the public and support positive change.

Christopher and I with Hyper T at The Grizzlies screening