People First Radio – February 08, 2024

People First Radio – February 08, 2024

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This instalment of People First Radio brings two very different but deeply connected stories about love, loss, community, and what hope can look like after everything falls apart. First up, author and mum of three, Kathy Wagner, talks about her memoir *Here With You* and her son Tristan’s addiction, recovery, relapse, and death from the toxic drug supply.

Far from a bleak tale, her account leans hard into the light she found along the way. As she puts it, “there is always hope for our kids as long as they're still breathing… and when they're not, there is still hope for us.” Kathy shares how a desperate attempt to help – including taking Tristan to China to train with Shaolin monks – kept him drug-free for a year but didn’t touch the trauma underneath.

She speaks honestly about family addiction, generational dysfunction, and how writing helped her see “how significant the role of trauma was” alongside genetics and personality in Tristan’s substance use.

You’ll also hear how the recovery community, especially other mums, helped her reclaim her own life: “addiction happens to the whole family… but healing and recovery can also happen to the whole family.” Later, the focus shifts to homelessness as guest Greg Dorval reflects on a year unhoused in Guelph, lining up outside shelters in “bitter cold”, and now pitching a tent in civil protest beside the courthouse.

He describes the tiny, very human struggles many never think about – like simply finding a place to pee at night – and the unexpected kindness in shelter lines. For Greg, change starts with everyday people practising compassion: “we're stronger together than anyone can be alone.” Anyone caring for a loved one in addiction, grieving a loss, or trying to understand homelessness may find comfort, challenge, and solidarity here. Whose story in your own life needs to be told next?