THUNDER BAY --Joshua Guthrie’s life took a wild turn three years ago when he veered onto a lifelong road to recovery.
In order to cope with his feeling of being an outsider Guthrie was immediately drawn to alcohol at a young age.
As he entered high school his need for alcohol became more progressive as he felt as though he needed it “for a social lubricant to fit in.”
When Guthrie began working in restaurants and bars, alcohol soon became a lifestyle.
“You drink and drug after work every night and you drink and drug the next day to get rid of the hangover then you do it all over again. It was a perpetual cycle for about 20 years,” said Guthrie who was one of the four speakers Wednesday night at the Rockin’ Recovery event.
In 2013, he began hitting low after low, which got him to a point where he needed help, but he didn’t know what to do.
Guthrie said at the time he was out West and had separated himself from his family and everybody that loved him, but when he needed those people the most his parents picked him up and drove him across the country to be back home surrounded by love and support.
The 39-year-old has been in recovery for three and a half years, and has been sober for two.
“Events like (Rockin’ Recovery) are important,” he said. “We get to keep what we have by giving it away, and by sharing with other people it gives them the opportunity to feel that they are not alone and that they can come forward and look for help as well.”
He added that whether it’s drugs, alcohol or mental illness there’s always a stigma around asking for help about surrendering.
Guthrie said it seems weak, but it’s not weak, some of the strongest people he has met have been in recovery.
“Everybody supports everybody, if you go back out, if you relapse, you come back to the room and people welcome you with open arms,” he said.
“To see everybody and to celebrate recovery together it’s an instrumental thing in the recovery journey.”
