Homelessness, Addiction, and Recovery with Guy Felicella | ethno. forum 005

Guy Felicella spent nearly 20 years living on the streets of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside (DTES). He survived through the HIV/AIDS crisis in the DTES in the 80’s & 90’s, two decades of being homeless, multiple life-threatening bone infections, and six drug overdoses during which he needed to be resuscitated. With the help of others through harm reduction and recovery fields and incredible self determination, Guy escaped the grips of the turmoil that kept him suffering. Today he works for Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Centre on Substance Use advocating on the importance of harm reduction and recovery for those struggling with addiction. Guy is also an international public speaker who shares his personal experience & expertise at conferences, seminars, & TEDx Talks, school districts and post-secondary institutions where he speaks about drug addiction, trauma, recovery, and harm reduction. He currently has nearly a decade of recovery and sobriety under his belt, and resides with his wife and three young children. Where to follow Guy: Twitter:   / guyfelicella   Instagram:   / guyfelicellapublic   Guy's TedTalks:    • I Died Six Times … Let’s End the Stigma of...      • Is Safe Supply a Viable Option to the Over...   Chapters: 00:54 - Introduction to Guy, brief backstory on his life & story. 03:54 - When Guy first ran away from home, first introduction to drugs 05:59 - Getting into harder drugs, differences between heroin and cocaine. 07:44 - Going to juvenile detention for the first time, wanting to stay in juvie rather than leave, living in group homes and bouncing around as a young kid, getting stopped by cops as a 12 year old in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside 13:33 - Is BC’s move to decriminalizing drugs a step in the right direction? 16:21 - Guy’s arrival to the DTES, what it was like being homeless from 1993 to 2013 and not leaving the DTES of Vancouver. 21:26 - Forming relationships while being homeless and the sense of community among those living on the street, looking out for sex workers when women were going missing 24:31 - Making a change after overdosing and being brought back to life for the 6th time, meeting with Dr. Gabor Mate, going through recovery and getting his life back on track 31:28 - Comparing himself as person now vs. when he was on the street 34:57 - Opening up and learning to trust and be vulnerable after years of pain and suffering, how he met his now wife. 40:01 - The people in the healthcare system vs. the system itself and the disparity between the two, why Guy thinks he was able to get clean, and why it’s so difficult for most to make that change 46:16 - Anecdotes, perspective from someone who has lived on the street, ways to improve access to care for people on the street 51:22 - Trying to get a job with a criminal record and after 20 years on the street, not giving up 54:57 - Guy’s family, how he talks about his life and past with his kids, and how he views the world, helping others instead of being angry 1:00:09 - Does prison actually work? Guy’s experience in juvie & federal penitentiary, protecting yourself in a hostile environment 1:08:31 - The tools and resources required to make significant changes in life, not passing on trauma to his kids, helping others. 1:13:50 - Moving forward - what Guy’s up to, what’s next, additional thoughts 1:23:20 - Family dynamics, important anecdotes, and final thoughts. - ethno. is a Vancouver-based publication brand with a focus on bringing raw, authentic, local stories to the forefront. Some individuals you may have heard of, some not - but they all have unique stories, and we're here to show them to you. Where to follow: Instagram:   / ethno.official   Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3I47qQf... Facebook:   / ethno.official   Medium:   / ethno   Website: https://www.ethno.ca ethno. is powered by Arkavis Creative (https://www.arkavis.ca)