Hope and recovery: The scourge of opioid addiction

Cross-Canada cyclist Chris Cull will return to Sudbury on April 5 to share his story of recovery from a prescription drug addiction.

The Bowmanville, Ont., native was last in Sudbury in July 2014 when he embarked on a cross-Canada bike tour to awareness about the misuse and abuse of pharmaceutical drugs — a journey he's set to repeat in the coming weeks.

Cull turned to Oxycontin at the age of 22 to help him cope with his father's death.

Seven years later, after beating his addiction, he cycled the 7,500 kilometres from Victoria, BC to St. John's, Newfoundland. He launched a website and a campaign called Inspire By Example to help spread his message of hope and recovery.

During his cross-country odyssey, Cull recorded interviews with addicts and recovered addicts talking about their experience with prescription drug addiction. One of the stops on his journey was in Greater Sudbury, where he conducted interviews with some local people about their experiences with opioid addiction.

That documentary is soon to be released.

“It doesn't matter how bad things are, or where you were, you can still go on to do extraordinary things,” Cull told NorthernLife.ca when his 2014 tour brought him to Sudbury.

On April 5, Cull will give a free public talk at the Caruso Club, starting at 7 p.m., about his own journey from addiction to recovery.

The Sudbury Alcohol and Drug Concerns Coalition is bringing the event to the public through a combined effort with the Greater Sudbury Community Drug Strategy, the Greater Sudbury Police Services, the Sudbury District Health Unit and the provincial government.

Cull is also giving a free presentation earlier in the day, also at the Caruso Club, for physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists.

Registration is not required for the evening talk, which is open to the public.