Ep 5: Jonathan Peltier - An Opioid Survivor Story

"You have to be honest. Not a lot of people are going to respect your story. Not a lot of people are going to like your story. But what they are going to respect is your truth and your honesty. So if anything, just be honest and make sure your truth is your strength and not your dysfunction."Jonathan Peltier is an opioid survivor who now works in helping people come through drug and alcohol addiction as a reintegration worker in the Wikwemikong Justice Program, in the Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, in northern Ontario. Jonathan spent decades addicted to opioids. It had crippling effects on his own health, his life and his family. In this moving and thoughtful interview, Jonathan takes us through his descent into addiction, the impact that had, and his own journey to recovery, the importance of First Nations traditions and ceremony in doing that, and helping others to follow his path.***Please note: Dr Alfred Nkut, who is mentioned in this interview, was found guilty in 2013 of defrauding the Ontario Health Insurance Plan of $800,000 and, in a separate trial, of sexual assault. He was facing a hearing over allegations of professional misconduct with the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons later that year, when he passed away.For more on the work of Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, please visit our website www.thunderbirdpf.orgYou can find us on social media by searching for ThunderbirdPFOur theme music is by Courtney Riley, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.Mino Bimaadiziwin is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions and the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation.