It didn't seem right that we talked about celebrating Recovery Month without acknowledging
the people who can't be here to celebrate with us.
These purple balloons that are tied to shoes are here as a powerful symbol for our community.
In 2015, all over Colorado, we lost 872 people to drug overdoses.
This is in memory of them.
872 overdose deaths.
Every nine hours and 24 minutes.
More than two families affected every single day.
Three deaths a day.
I don't hear about it on the news.
I don't hear about it anywhere.
Only the awareness starts the conversation and with the conversation starts the action
and the solutions.
My name is Mark Wonder and I am in long-term recovery from substance abuse and today I
own a company called Diamond Standard Events.
If you would have told me back in 1999 when I first got busted with my drugs that I would
be owning a company in 2016 that would be having over 175 employees in two different
states, I would have said you're crazy.
Let's stand up and speak out about being people in long-term recovery.
We are living proof that no matter what hell we've been through, look at where we're at
today.
Today I get to be all kinds of good things because I'm in recovery.
I get to be a good mother, a husband, a son, a father, a brother, and a good leader in
the community and a productive member of society because I am in recovery.
In the last few years, let's say the last 10 years or so, I think there's been a swinging
of the pendulum to the right side where people are starting to understand that addicts aren't
villains.
What about the ones that are thrown in jail?
As a criminal justice system, we are the least equipped and most expensive place for people
who are dealing with addiction and mental health issues and we need to get out of that
business.
We're hoping together we will be able to change the dialogue in society as to how we address
this disease and to de-stigmatize this chronic illness like we have for many other chronic
medical conditions.
We're scheduled to circle the Capitol building holding hands as a representation of hope
that people do recover.
As you take the hand of the individual next to you, whether they are in recovery or not,
note to yourself that their journey to this building was not the same as yours.
Allow yourself to be empowered by that which brought you here today and please allow everyone
to feel just the same because as cliche as it is, we cannot fight the stigma out there
while we are wreaking the stigma in here.
A moment of silence for our friends, our relatives, all those folks who are no longer here because
of their addiction issues because we remember them.
