St. John's Bakery

Not long ago, the CBC radio (World at 6) announced that BC is the first province to "recognize alcohol addiction as a chronic medical condition, a move aimed at improving treatment." Though, I wholeheartedly feel an immense empathy for those and the families and friends of those who suffer of alcoholism, a spark inside me flared up as I realized I did not support this "pioneer" stance on the issue. Despite my training as a nurse within the medical model, another philosophy has often reigned far stronger, that of the Strength Model (within the McGill Model).

The medical model has often held itself to a high standard because of its basis in science and thoroughly controlled study of health. Though the information it wields is important, it is often reluctant to note the more fluid aspects of society, things such as cultural influence, spiritual values, relationships, power dynamics, and so on and so forth. These difficult to calculate concepts, slip through any grasp and are hardly ever stagnant enough to be caught in a medical lens. As a medically modeled society, by declaring alcohol addiction a medical condition, this essentially drives funding for medical treatment and medical research. But I think to myself, are we forgetting a larger scope of the issue which is so heavily embedded in "non-medical" aspects of life? Medical condition, maybe, but social condition, most certainly.

And so, yesterday I was browsing the Nuthouse (bulk and healthy food store) when I came across some bread, which turned out to be absolutely delicious, made by the St. John's Bakery. As I was checking out, one of the owners of the store was telling me how this artisan bakery hires bakery workers, such as those who have become addicted to substances, to overcome their difficulties through developing skills and creating community ties. Such a lovely program cannot be prescribed nor quantified.

From: http://stjohnsbakery.com/