Sober Stampede offers a different way to keep the party going

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Giuseppe Ganci acknowledges ‘Sober Stampede’ is a bit of an oxymoron for many cowboys and cowgirls.

But despite the fact that Stampeding and imbibing often go hand-in-hand at this time of year, the director of community development for the Last Door Recovery Society said his organization’s ‘Sober Stampede’ event on Saturday offered a substance-free way to keep the festive vibes alive for those in recovery from addiction, or who simply want to stay sober this Stampede.

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A new event this year, Sober Stampede took place on Saturday in the parking lot between 11th and 12th Avenue S.E. along Macleod Trail. The free, day-long event provided thousands of attendees a way to kick up their heels and celebrate the yahoo spirit in a family-friendly, sobriety-centric environment.

Ganci said the event intended to raise awareness that recovery is possible, and that once someone stops drinking, the party doesn’t have to stop.

“If you can drink and handle your liquor, congrats to you,” he said. “But we were finding people in early recovery were no longer going to some of the events because of the alcohol consumption being a trigger and so forth. So we wanted to create spaces that were inclusive for all.”

Ganci said the idea for Sober Stampede emerged after he attended last year’s Stampede as a visitor, noticing many of the events included or centred around alcohol — a potential trigger for those recovering from substance-use addiction.

But just because there was no booze in sight at Sober Stampede didn’t mean there wasn’t a wide variety of entertainment on offer.

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Saturday’s festivities included plenty of activities for attendees of all ages, including a range of vendors and food trucks, a kids’ zone with face-painters and bouncy castles, and horse rides.

A highlight of the afternoon was a slate of live on-stage performances, including sets from Canadian band Trooper, children’s performer and Juno-winner Fred Penner, and a pair of tribute bands for Kiss and Johnny Cash.

Attendee Brenda, who said she comes to Stampede every year, said as someone in long-term recovery from addiction, Sober Stampede was a refreshing alternative to the typical offerings.

“I’ve been in recovery for almost 15 years,” she said. “It’s kind of cool to have a sober or clean-and-sober Stampede. If you walk outside here, everybody is drunk. Sometimes it’s hard to put up with or a little triggering for some.”

In addition to the activities and entertainment, about 40 Calgary-based mental health and addiction recovery service providers were on hand, distributing brochures and materials about their organizations at a variety of information booths.

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One of those booths was the Terminator Foundation, which focuses on physical activity-based recovery therapy. The 12-week program caters to people struggling with addiction, improving their coping skills and stress management by training them in the three disciplines of triathlon.

Vanisha Breault, the organization’s founder, said she started the foundation about 10 years ago, after her own daughter ended up living on the streets and struggling with an opioid addiction.

Breault said her daughter — who is now seven years clean and sober, married and with kids of her own — was one of the first athletes to go through the Terminator program.

“When they’re training and digging it out in the session, it just transfers over in their recovery to having to fight to recover and change their way of thinking,” Breault said, adding the physical training not only helps with fighting boredom and curbing cravings, but also improves the athletes’ self-esteem, depression and sense of resilience.

“There is so much science behind the physical benefits to using activity-based therapy to help someone recover from addiction,” she said.

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Another vendor promoting his services at Sober Stampede was Bill Ward, of BillWardLife, an addiction and alcoholism educational consultant who helps people understand the disease of addiction and the solution to it.

Ward said he thought Sober Stampede was a “great endeavour,” and expects the festival to only grow in the coming years.

“People can be real here,” he said.

“There’s so much love in recovery, man. People love each other and they show it. You walk around here man and people are hugging each other. It’s not because they’re hitting on each other — it’s because they love each other. It’s what it is.

“Look at Year 1. In five years, this place is going to be rocking.”

sstrasser@postmedia.com

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