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The Conversation

The Conversation

TRUTH,

ADDICTION

AND LIFE

AFTER DRUGS

AFTER DRUGS

In this inspirational docuseries, Indigenous substance use survivors share their story so others can find a pathway to healing.

Episode 1

Multi-generational Trauma

Aging out of the foster care system.

Alexis’

Story

Story

Episode 2

The Legacy of Residential Schools

Why Indigenous overdoses are five times the national average.

Jay’s

Story

Story

Episode 3

Homelessness and Incarceration

Breaking the cycle of addiction.

Malcolm’s

Story

Story

Episode 4

The Addiction and Drug Crisis

A disease that doesn’t discriminate.

Ryan’s

Story

Story

Alexis’

Story

Story

Episode 1

Multi-generational Trauma

Aging out of the foster care system.

Alexis is a budding hip hop artist whose star is just beginning to shine. In her early 20’s, she has already lived through experiences few can imagine. From a family where both parents struggled with their own addiction, at 18 Alexis aged out of foster care and by 22, she survived several overdoses.

About
Alexis

Even in her worst moments, in the depths of her addiction living on the street, Alexis’ passion for writing music helped sustain her through the darkest of times. She also credits her case workers at Secwepemc Child and Family Services, a Kamloops support agency for at risk youth, who helped her navigate an imperfect foster care system. In Alexis' family, addiction is multi-generational, the legacy of residential schools, broken homes, and a foster care system that can’t support youth beyond 18. When her older sister tragically succumbed to an overdose death, Alexis decided to change her life. Her dream of being a hip hop artist meant she'd have to quit abusive relationships and toxic drugs. Reconnecting with her art and her family is now a big part of Alexis’ pathway to healing.

Bonus Content

Alexis being interviewed in her kitchen
Alexis with her Father in Kamloops
Alexis riding her longboard in Kamloops
Alexis with her social worker at Secwempec Child and Family Services
Alexis portrait
Alexis in Kamloops
Alexis in the recording studio
Alexis and her Mom at the kitchen table
Three generations of survivors (Alexis, her Mom and Grandmother)

Jay’s

Story

Story

Episode 2

The Legacy of Residential Schools

Why Indigenous overdoses are five times the national average

When he was a baby, Jay was removed from his family and First Nation, then raised by a non-Indigenous Christian family. As a young boy, he was uprooted again and sent to a Christian residential school in Arizona. Abused, angry and disconnected, the experience shaped his life and the eventual re-awakening of his Indigenous identity.

About
Jay

Brought up in a devout evangelical environment, and forced to grow up in a Christian residential school, Jay returned to Canada as a teenager where he found solace on a mountain bike, in punk culture, and Kamloops’ burgeoning cycling scene. He built a reputation as a talented rider and bike mechanic until a steady supply of partying and escalating drug use ultimately grew into addiction. Within a few short years Jay lost his job, friends, his prized bikes, and possessions. Homeless and living on the streets, he struggled to survive through overdoses and stints in jail. Despite repeated attempts to get ‘clean’, Jay was eventually invited to his first Tk’emlups sweat ceremony where an Elder helped him reconnect with his Indigenous roots and spirituality. Culture became Jay’s pathway to healing, enabling him to achieve what several recovery programs could not. Today, Jay is a celebrated drummer, singer, Pow Wow dancer, and street support worker helping Indigenous youth overcome addiction by embracing culture.

Bonus Content

Jay in his kitchen
Jay on the trail
Jay on the trail
Jay counselling an Indigenous youth
Jay’s partner braiding his hair
Jay’s ‘family’
Orange Shirt Day ceremony/Jay drumming
Jay and his former boss at the bike shop where he used to work
Evan speaking with Jay at the Pow Wow

Malcolm’s

Story

Story

Episode 3

Homelessness and Incarceration

Breaking the cycle of addiction

A member of the St'át'imc Nation, Kamloops is where Malcolm went to party, until the party spiralled out of control. What followed was years of toxic drug addiction, lengthy prison sentences, and numerous overdoses until he found the will and a way to turn his life around.

About
Malcolm

Malcolm’s story illustrates a circular and too common journey where toxic drugs and addiction leads to homelessness, crime, and incarceration, only to be released and start the cycle all over again. With his final overdose taking place inside a prison, Malcolm knew he wanted to break the cycle of addiction and move into a long-term, live-in recovery house. The Mustard Seed, a Kamloops based recovery program, is where Malcolm is beginning his pathway to healing but as he candidly admits, it’s the first in a long series of steps that can eventually reunite him with his children. Today, Malcolm is working on the next chapter in his life, where access to transitional housing like Kamloops’ new Genesis program will allow him to continue his healing after he moves on from the Mustard Seed.

Bonus Content

Malcolm being interviewed in Lilloet
Malcolm in his room at the Mustard Seed
Filming with Malcolm in his room
Malcolm portrait
Malcolm riding his bike
Malcolm and Evan in a group session at the Mustard Seed
Malcolm and his recovery house buddy
Whiteboard in the Mustard Seed group meeting room
Malcolm and Evan after group session
Malcolm outside the Provincial prison where he was incarcerated

Ryan’s

Story

Story

Episode 4

The Addiction and Drug Crisis

A disease that doesn’t discriminate.

Despite a successful business career, for years Ryan hid his escalating drug use until he lost it all to a crack cocaine addiction. Ryan chose to share his story so others can see that addiction knows no boundaries and toxic drugs aren’t only opioids.

About
Ryan

Ryan Denault is in his 40's and happily underway with a new chapter in his life. Today, he’s an accomplished public speaker, who shares his personal story and how he learned to ‘heal between two worlds’. In his former life, Ryan was a pillar of the Kamloops business community. But behind his success, a growing addiction to cocaine and crack eventually cost him his marriage, career, home and possessions. Ryan’s pathway to healing took a non-traditional approach. Buddhist principles grounded his recovery process, and set him on a journey that eventually brought him back to Kamloops where the ASK Wellness Society gave him a home and renewed hope. Opioids were never Ryan's drug of choice and his story illustrates why the toxic drug crisis doesn't discriminate. Fentanyl contamination in the street drug supply is behind mounting numbers of accidental overdoses where users are unaware they are consuming opioids.

Bonus Content

Ryan with his Mom
Ryan with his Mom and friend in Kamloops
Ryan at the gym
Ryan, his Mom and friend at their hockey game