20: Near-Death Drug Addiction to Winning the Courage to Come Back Award and Founding Camp Kerry // The Story of Josh Dahling
Background:
Josh Dahling arrived in Canada from apartheid South Africa when he was still very young. He survived physical and sexual abuse while navigating the daily struggles of poverty and undiagnosed dyslexia. He was introduced to alcohol and cocaine in his childhood, and struggled with addictions from this very early age. While still in his adolescence, he found himself living homeless and addicted on Vancouver’s downtown eastside.
At just 20 – after several near-fatal overdoses, the death of his father and the birth of his first child – Josh found sobriety. An intensive drug and alcohol treatment program helped Josh recover his life, and inspired him to become active in the recovery community. Even twenty years later, Josh continues to face health challenges resulting from his early struggles, including fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Despite these diagnoses, Josh was driven to improve himself for the benefit of both his family and community. He completed high school and a degree in social work while working three part time jobs, and supporting his three children as a single parent.
Since 2009, Josh has been instrumental in the establishment and growth of Camp Kerry Society in support of families coping with grief and loss. He is now the Director of Operations, and Director of the Society’s Youth Services, while also continuing his role as a Youth Counselor. In addition to dedicating his professional life to improving the lives of youth and families, Josh has volunteered thousands of hours as an inspirational speaker, clothing drive organizer, and as an advocate for bereavement care – all in selfless support of people – especially youth – struggling with bereavement and addictions.
This Episode Brought to You By:
- Fred Victor is a social service charitable organization that fosters long-lasting and positive change in the lives of homeless and low-income people living across Toronto. Every day, more than 2,000 people use our programs and services. And each person who comes through our doors is experiencing poverty and/or homelessness. Our Mission is to improve the health, income and housing stability of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. If you have the financial means to help, please make a donation at fredvictor.org.
Time-Stamped Show Notes:
- 3:30 Joshua was born in South Africa in 1976 during the height of the apartheid regime. They emigrated to Canada because his mother did not want to raise him in a chaotic environment.
- 5:48 When they came to Canada in the ‘80s, his family encountered people who were not very welcoming to immigrants.
- 7:45 He was sexually abused by his stepfather and there were a lot of struggles during his teenage years.
- 11:46 One of his rock-bottom moments was when he found out that his father was murdered.
- 13:03 He recalls his experience when he woke up in a hospital handcuffed to the bed because of his drug and alcohol addiction.
- 14:49 Being sent to a detox and rehab facility, Joshua learned a valuable lesson that became the foundation of his recovery and how he lived his life.
- 18:48 During Joshua’s Courage to Come Back Award acceptance speech, he joked that he couldn’t wait for this ceremony to be over so that he could go back to helping people.
- 21:44 The first time he was asked to volunteer and work in a camp for families who have lost a loved one, he thought it was a children’s camp and he declined.
- 23:00 When he finally volunteered for Camp Kerry, he figured out what this camp was all about and he became terrified.
- 26:55 Joshua talks about Camp Kerry and its growth.
- 34:30 He explains why he was carrying a hockey stick and a flag during the Courage to Come Back award.
- 39:25 It takes around $1,500 to $2,500 to send a family to the bereavement camp at Camp Kerry.
- 40:45 Filing a petition to the federal government to make some changes regarding the bereavement leave did not turn out well for Joshua.
- 47:12 They are offering an online support group to connect families during this crisis.
This Episode Sponsored By:
- 12:47 Fred Victor is a social service charitable organization that fosters long-lasting and positive change in the lives of homeless and low-income people living across Toronto. Every day, more than 2,000 people use our programs and services. And each person who comes through our doors is experiencing poverty and/or homelessness. Our Mission is to improve the health, income and housing stability of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. If you have the financial means to help, please make a donation at fredvictor.org.
- 33:41 If you know someone who is looking for help with bereavement and grieving, please remember to share this episode with them and direct them to Joshua Dahling’s Camp Kerry Society. You can visit their website at CampKerrySociety.org
Key Points from the Interview:
- “The only way I’m going to be able to help myself, is to help somebody else. And that has basically been the foundation of my recovery, but also the foundation of how I lived my life.”
- “What I do know from doing the work I’ve done over the years is – There is light at the end of the tunnel. And I won’t be doing what I do now if that wasn’t the case.”
Resources Mentioned:
- Email: info@campkaerry.org
- CampKerrySociety.org
- Joshua Dahling Facebook
- Courage to Come Back
- Courage to Come Back Awards 2018: Josh Dahling
- Josh Dahling 2018 Courage to Come Back Award Recipient for Addiction – YouTube Video
