As they celebrated their 50th anniversary, the Kamloops Society for Alcohol and Drug Services (KSADS) announced a rebranding Monday, changing their name to the Day One Society.

The name change was announced at a news conference at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Kamloops, bringing with it the hope that the services offered will continue to expand in the future.

Although the legal name of the Society – which helps youth and adults struggling with substance abuse and alcohol addiction – was Kamloops Society for Alcohol and Drug Services, for years, people have referred to the Society as the Phoenix Centre, which is the name of the building that houses the Society’s offices and detox services.

“For a while now, our Board has been thinking about our vision for the Society and the help, hope, and healing our services provide,” Board Chair, Marilyn McLean said, noting the name Phoenix Centre will live on but as a part of Day One Society.

“We desired to have a name that would better reflect who we are and all that we do while being unique and relevant to the diverse group of people we serve, from youth to adults to seniors. We are very thankful for the input community members provided to help us arrive at the name Day One Society.”

McLean said the name change involved consultation with stakeholders and members of the community.

“We were so thrilled to invite people from the medical and healthcare community, drug and alcohol counsellors, local business owners, and many community leaders to come together to honour our 50th anniversary, acknowledge their contributions, and to let them know about the name change of our Society,” she added.

Executive Director, Sian Lewis, says it was important for the Society’s name to express how every day of a person’s recovery journey is like day one.

“One of our goals as a Society is to help our community know that yes, we have the Phoenix Centre as a centre for detox programs and services, but for decades, our Society has also provided services like youth and family counselling, a treatment program for young women, and supportive transitional living in recovery for adults,” Lewis said.

“This new name serves as an umbrella for our many services and allows us to potentially expand what we do in the future, where we’re needed most.”

The Society says it has seen an increased demand for services in recent years, brought about by both the opioid crisis as well as the pandemic.

“We help hundreds of families and individuals each year, and our waitlist for services is constant,” noted Lewis.

As part of Monday’s news conference, the Society premiered a film and the launch of the 50 Years. One Day at a Time. campaign to aid with the transition to the new name.

“As a Society, it is our ultimate hope that by what we do through our communications, connections, and services, we will resonate with those in a journey of addiction to connect with us to turn the thought of ‘one day I’ll get help’ into day one of their journey to recovery and wellness,” noted McLean.

“For those who have not personally experienced addiction, we encourage them to watch our film to get a better sense of what addiction is like to provide understanding to help eliminate stigma so that everyone will know it’s safe and normal to need and seek help.”

For more information about the organization, go here.