Tuccaro shares story for addictions awareness
35-years sober, NWT comissioner learned how to be happy without alcohol
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Monday, November 16, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
George Tuccaro said he hit bottom in 1980, when he found himself in the drunk tank in Whitehorse.
George Tuccaro, commissioner of the NWT and a former alcoholic, accepted the order of the NWT during a ceremony last month. - NNSL file photo |
He said when he realized he was living the prophecy of the nuns who were responsible for him during his six years at Holy Angel's residential school in Fort Chipewyan, AB – that the future-commissioner of the NWT 'wouldn't amount to anything - he made a promise to himself that he'd prove them wrong.
"I owe it to some self-help groups and a very supportive wife who allowed me to get better," said Tuccaro.
"I wanted to be strong again so I could be strong for my family. And when you do good things, good things follow you."
Tuccaro said it didn't happen overnight. He said although he immediately stopped drinking, he spent a period of time feeling very depressed. But after a while he said he learned how to be happy and sober at the same time.
"Thirty-five years later I find myself in a real good place," he said.
"A happy place that I've created because I wanted something better."
He said during his day-to-day duties as commissioner he doesn't get as much time to talk with people struggling as he once did as he'd like to. Tuccaro said his tenure as the commissioner comes to an end on May 11 of next year, when he expects he'll get back into the self-help gig.
"After that I probably will continue to work in self help, encouraging people to do their own work," he said.
Tuccaro said although the nuns of residential school have long gone, he still hears their words in the back of his mind.
He said if he were able to stand before them today and show them how far he's come they'd be surprised.
"I know they'd see me probably in a different way," he said.
"The thing is that I don't have any bad feelings toward them. I just felt that wasn't the right thing to say to anybody. But I'm able to forgive that so I can move forward. I believe a lot of our people are stuck in that spot where they can't forgive."
