Outside the PHS managed alcohol program‘s lounge in Vancouver, a passed-out woman lies on a patch of grass while others nearby keep an eye on her to make sure the situation doesn’t deteriorate.
Inside, another woman hurls obscenities and accusations at a man while members continue sanitizing bottles and stirring homemade wine as though they’ve heard it all before.
There are days when fights break out and when people are asked to go cool off elsewhere, but the little program on Princess Avenue beats the other options that usually include jail, the emergency room or, in recent years, fentanyl poisoning, according to those who run and use it.
Tyler Bigchild, 38, was part of a small group of drinkers involved in the program’s earliest days, before it became official in 2013. Back then, they called it the Drinker’s Lounge and it was part of Portland Hotel Society’s defunct Drug Users Resource Centre.
“My alcohol use was hardcore, I’d be drinking anything I could,” said Bigchild, listing rubbing alcohol, mouthwash, gel hand sanitizer and bottles he stole from liquor stores.
bit.ly/2DNAhGg via @VancouverSun
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