For a “woman in sustained recovery” for nine and a half years like Alexandra Talbot, Recovery Day Alberta’s event reinforced a common phrase said in treatment circles: “The opposite of addiction is connection.”

“(Drugs and alcohol) had become the solution to my every problem. They were ways I coped and dealt with things … So for me today to do that inner work and actually be empowered to live a purpose-driven life is everything,” she said.