‘It’s an opportunity to remember them in a positive light’– JADD

A MOVING service was held in JADD’s [Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency] premises last Thursday, December 14, to remember clients who died, and celebrate people in recovery.

The event featured an emotional talk from the 20-year-old daughter of a former JADD client who died last September when he was in his mid-40s.

Over 40 people attended, including JADD clients and the Board of Directors, who also heard JADD clients share their journey to recovery from substance addiction.

Tommy Gilson, manager of JADD, told The Echo: “It was our annual Hope and Remembrance Service that we hold every year, to celebrate recovery and remember people who’ve passed away.

“It was also about celebrating those who achieved their recovery goals, and we had three speakers in recovery who are doing very well – they spoke about their journeys and where they came from.”

A 20-strong choir of children from St Thomas’s Senior National School in Jobstown sang at the service, which included a Christmas tree featuring the names of loved ones who have died.

“I think it helps the families, as there is still a lot of stigma around substance abuse, so it was an opportunity for loved ones to talk about their achievements,” added Mr Gilson.

“It shows that it’s not all doom and gloom, it’s an opportunity to remember them in a positive light, which was a striking feature of the service.

“Most of the people [who passed away] came from living families who were devastated.

“We, as staff in JADD, had conversations with those clients about their love for their kids – when we’re dealing with them, they talk about their families and the guilt they have.

“When their families hear about that, I think it’s nice for them to know that they spoke about them.”

He added: “It was a lovely service to make sure that people aren’t forgotten, and equally to celebrate people in recovery.”