E033 Imran Kamal Recognized Addiction and Asked for Help

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast – Episode 33
Date: September 13, 2022

Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Imran Kamel (Expanding Minds) and Doug Koning (Move That Body)

Start times and Segment Segments:

[0:00:44] What’s On Your Mind: Sammy and John start a chat about things they’re still learning, in this case being patient with themselves and setting boundaries.

[0:12:46] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical and Mental Wellness] Imran Kamal recounts stories from his younger days. He became addicted but found reasons to dismiss comments from others and from himself that he needed help. He eventually confided to a close friend that he had a problem – that he was an addict and needed help. His friend suggested a way to seek help at a time Imran was ready to hear that. Imran set off on a path to address his addiction.

[0:27:28] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron rolled with the punches and performed at an open mic show.

[0:31:22] Move That Body: Comedian Doug Koning gets a lot out of weightlifting. He tells us about it.

[0:39:12] Running Popup: Doing the podcast and hearing from other people reinforces a lesson John’s learned in life. Good ideas get better when you open your mind and your heart to input from other people.

[0:41:44] Flipside of the Coin: A discussion of not-good things we’re very good at leads to a discussion of life happening in between the plans we made. The stuff that happens in between is the rich stuff.

Quotes and Take-Aways:

Sammy – [One of the things I’m still learning] Being patient with myself. I can relate to that one. Sometimes I’m not patient with myself. I’m a lot more patient with others than I am with myself, because sometimes I expect myself to get it right away.

John – I’ve been married a long time. One of the best things is that the other person totally surprises you. You’re thinking, “where did that come from?”. It makes things more interesting.

John – Significant weight loss and getting in shape can take months or years to turn things around, and that’s okay. If fact, that’s what works. I’ve got to be patient. I won’t be where I want to be tomorrow or next week or two months from now, but maybe a year from now I will be.

Sammy – I think culture is one of the leading factors when people are choosing a workplace. Culture is so important and people are way more likely to leave a job due to the culture than due to their salary or the nature of their job. People will jump around nowadays, at least millennials. We will jump around and find the place that we feel comfortable.

Imran – There’s still a huge stigma out there as to what an addict looks like. I struggled a lot with that through my story and my journey.

Imran – I managed to keep up good grades. I came from a middle-class family. I was always able to use those as an excuse to field off any sort of criticisms or comments people would make about any potential problems that I had. I relied on good grades and social acceptability.

Imran – I can’t remember why we ended up in the Ikea parking lot, but I broke down and started crying to my childhood best friend and I say, “I have a problem. I’m addicted and I need some help.” He had known about my father’s recovery. He said you should go and seek help through the 12 steps the way your dad did. I said, “Okay, I’m going to do it.”

Imran – What got me the desire to get clean and sober was that I was just tired of living that way. I was tired of hurting people. I was tired of hurting myself. I was tired of it.

Imran – It was that inside paid - that desperation on the inside – that was the motivating factor for me to change my life and to get clean and sober.

John – If you open your mind and your heart after you share great ideas, then you can hear input from other people that makes your idea even better. You should latch onto that. You shouldn’t resist it.

Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Doug: You’re not really doing anything but feeding your ego.

Guest Information: Imran Kamal is a lawyer working for the Province of Ontario, specializing in Indigenous rights. He started his career in 2013, practicing in family law with a focus on custody and access issues. He soon transitioned to the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Hamilton. Imran is a Certified Specialist in Indigenous Legal Issues and the only child protection lawyer in Ontario with this designation. In 2021, Imran was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Imran’s passion is to work front line and grassroots. In 2017, he established Hamilton Lawyers Feed the Hungry, which gathers volunteers from the legal community to financially support and prepare and serve meals for 80 to 100 children and youth. Since 2016, Imran has also been a weekly volunteer at a Men’s Live-in Addiction Treatment Centre, providing support and resources for men overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. Additionally, Imran is Board Member of Mission Services of Hamilton and the AIDS Network.

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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-)   Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie

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