Leslie Campbell
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 12/01) - AIDS may have been the wake-up call the world needed to realize that talking openly about sex, alcohol, drugs and addictions could help save lives.

Diane Hrstic is a drug and alcohol counsellor at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife. - Robert Dall/NNSL photo

"Teachers, society as a whole have not been afraid to talk about AIDS, rape, incest. All is being brought forward, not kept in the closet. There's more openness," says Diane Hrstic, a drug and alcohol counsellor at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife.

"Everything is affected by alcohol and drugs. And money is like the ripple."

Events such as National Addictions Awareness Week give Hrstic and her colleagues from agencies throughout Yellowknife, and around the country, an opportunity to further discuss addictions and how it affects individuals, family and friends.

And organizing NAW activities is truly a group effort in Yellowknife. Representatives from the Tree of Peace, Stanton Regional Hospital, Yellowknife Health and Social Services, Yellowknife RCMP, Yellowknife Women's Centre, Salvation Army, and the Ndilo and Dettah bands, gathered a few weeks ago to start planning for NAW, which runs from Nov. 18-24.

Plans include setting up a temporary information booth in donated space in the Centre Square Mall to give everyone a chance to stop by and chat or pick up information. The booth is open from Nov. 19-24.

Hrstic says agencies, counsellors and the police have been working more closely and it is imperative those lines of communication continue to improve.

"Agencies need to work together so we don't duplicate services."

When NAW ends, the efforts of Hrstic and people like fellow drug and alcohol counsellor, James Jenka, will continue.

"We need to customize services and make them more functional for the client," said Hrstic.

"Let it be known in the communities what is available," added Jenka.

While both agree there is still work to be done to improve services for those with addictions, they hold out hope for a future where everyone is healthy and happy.

"My dream is to see a healthier lifestyle for everyone," said Hrstic.

Jenka acted out his dream in the form of a skit during a training program.

"In 2020, there would be no more drinking, no more drugs. People in the future would never know what alcohol was," he said.