Former NHL star Theo Fleury was in Chatham on Thursday sharing a message of hope.
Fleury and his therapist Kim Barthel talked about his alcoholism, drug addiction, being a sex assault victim, suicide attempts, and how to heal.
Fleury says healing can be difficult and urges people who are suffering from addiction or other issues to reflect, self-discover, and take action for a better life.
"What people always ask us is 'what now?' Now that I found my voice and put a voice to my pain and suffering, what do I do now? How do I take that and put it into action?" says Fleury.
About 100 people attended the Tilbury Drug Awareness Team workshop at the John Bradley Convention Centre on Thursday.
Fleury says life doesn't have to come with the stress of an elimination game 7 if you commit to talking, sharing, and healing.
"Look at my hockey career. They said I wasn't going to play and I played a thousand games and when it comes to healing it's no different. The obstacles that are put in front of us, we just need to go through them and figure it out," he says.
Fleury urges people to slow down, stay in the moment, keep their chin up, and keep moving forward.
"Take baby steps and feel your feelings or sit in your proverbial crap, that's when we learn. We have to feel those things because we've spent most of our lives running away from that feeling," Fleury says.
