CollingwoodToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter was sent in response to our story about a resident-led petition to allow open alcohol in some Collingwood parks.
I've been a Collingwood resident now for over 20 years and I've seen a lot.
I'm the founder of Canadian Sober Eh recovery podcast, and the host of the Rogers TV show Canadian Sober Eh, which you can find on YouTube.
I'm concerned about allowing alcohol in our parks and here's why.
Alcohol has become so socially accessible and acceptable, it makes me sick.
Everywhere you go, there it is, ready to be purchased by the tap of a debit card. You can't even go to the movie theatre without having it right there.
Alcohol is already available at the liquor store, beer store, gas stations, grocery stores, and even our own farmers market has had several vendors selling alcohol
As a recovering addict and alcoholic, I drove drunk all the time. I'm not proud of that at all.
If the OPP ever set up a ride check at noon I would guarantee you would have many people who would receive a DUI.
With weed shops everywhere now and it becoming legal, it seems harder and harder to enjoy anything in life being sober.
I can't go anywhere or do anything without alcohol and drugs being there.
Parks and beaches are for people to enjoy the sunshine and have picnics with their loved ones.
Now you're asking them to put up with the group sitting beside them drinking and smoking.
I see a lot of violence and people driving drunk and high if this passes.
Mental health issues and addiction are skyrocketing and deaths related to drugs and alcohol are at an all-time high.
It will just be a matter of time before you're writing an article on the death of a little girl or boy being hit by a car because the driver was not paying attention because of the use of these substances.
I've gone through a lot in the past eight years of sobriety and I've seen more death than I care to admit.
Recovery rooms in Collingwood are seeing our numbers increase a ton.
I hope people do the sensible thing and vote against this really stupid idea.
Let people enjoy their time at the beach without having to put up with this behaviour.
Dougie "Fresh" Mathews
Collingwood
