Celebrate Recovery Day and our 34th Birthday
Odyssey House opened its doors to over 400 visitors including past and present staff, graduates, friends, family and supporters to ‘Celebrate Recovery Day’.
For the first time this year we’re calling it ‘Celebrate Recovery Day’ to recognise that people have to work hard to overcome serious or long-standing dependence on alcohol and other drugs, dealing with the physical addiction and the personal reasons they began using drugs.Celebrate Recovery Day is held annually to recognise the achievements of Odyssey House clients, educate the public about the organisation’s work, thank staff and supporters, and commemorate helping more than 30,000 people to overcome drug and alcohol problems since 1977.
It was a gorgeous spring day with numerous stalls featuring woodwork, art and craft created by Odyssey House residents as part of their therapy, as well as multi-cultural displays, face painting and food stalls.
Guest speakers included new Campbelltown Mayor Mr Anoulack Chanthivong and 1989 Odyssey House graduate Rose, 47, now a happy and successful businesswoman, motivational speaker and mother of two, who has been ‘in recovery’ for 23 years after overcoming a serious dependence on heroin and other drugs.
Odyssey House CEO Mr James Pitts said “the event is a great opportunity for the public to find out what rehab is all about, talk with staff, and show their support for graduates and clients who are taking the arduous journey to overcome their drug dependence”.
So on Celebrate Recovery Day we commend and congratulate our graduates and our clients’ efforts and wish them well in their recovery, which is usually a lifelong process to maintain their new drug-free lifestyle and physical and mental wellbeing.
We also encourage people in the community to take the opportunity to congratulate their family or friends who have overcome an addiction, and to support them in their recovery.