By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Beaconsfield’s Kim Bellas, founder of Sober Is The New Cool (SITNC), will lead the Walk for Wellness on Mount Royal this coming Saturday morning Sept.28. The date was chosen because it coincides with International Recovery Day.

Bellas founded SITNC in 2013. “My 13-year old son Matthew started having grand mal seizures. Needless to say our world was turned upside down. As a mom of course my first reaction was how can I fix him? As medication was our only solution alcohol would be a definite no no,”Bellas said. At the age of 52, Bellas decided to give up drinking for three months to prove that alcohol and drugs were not a necessity to have fun. “Little did I realize the social pressures I would encounter.”

According to Bellas, in 2013, not many people or sites were openly discussing the shame and stigma surrounding mental health and addiction. Bellas created a Facebook page and shortly after the messages started pouring in from people all over the world who felt the could relate to the discussion and who shared her view of normalizing being sober.

Portage and Centre Summit are partnering with SITNC in the Walk this year. Over 25 countries internationally will also be holding Walks for Wellness on the same day. The Walks seek to raise awareness about wellness and recovery, de-stigmatize addiction and create a supportive community for wellness.

For the organizers it’s about all of us being in it together and helping. Why?

Because everybody — at some time or another — is recovering from something painful. Their message is “recovery is possible for everyone.”

The special guest at the walk will be Robert-Baldwin MNA Brigitte Garceau, who will be reading her National Assembly Recovery Day declaration. Other guests will be Allan Farkas, National Director of Admissions and Community Relations at Portage Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centres; Joshua Haupt, Founder of Centre Summit addiction treatment services and counselling centre and Monica Merleau, yoga teacher and spiritual and mindfulness specialist.

All participants are asked to gather Saturday at 10:30 am at the Mount Royal Chalet, 1196 Camillien-Houde Road for the walk to the Mount Royal Cross. n