Before Portage (How I started taking drugs / alcohol and why) I took my first puff of marijuana in October 2014. I did that to get back at my ex and prove him something (to this day, I remain uncertain as to what I was trying to prove). I took my next hit during Christmas… Read more »

Before Portage (How I started taking drugs / alcohol and why) Before Portage, my life was crazy. I was constantly in and out of jail; I had a horrible relationship with my grandmother. I think I was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I was always high or drunk and had no self-respect…. Read more »

We are not all equal in the face of addiction In a previous article (Are We All Equal in the Face of Addiction?), I mentioned a fascinating study that Pier Vincenzo Piazza, a leading expert on drug addiction, conducted in 2004 on a group of rats. After getting unlimited access to cocaine for three months,… Read more »

Portage welcomes and supports all those who make the life-changing decision to leave their surroundings and put an end to their addiction. Philippe came to Portage with the unconscious desire to become once again who he used to be. At 21 years-old, he was entering a part of life usually marked by important transformations, new… Read more »

For most people, adolescence is a bumpy road, fraught with difficulties. Teenagers are constantly wondering who they are, and what they want. Sometimes, their path diverges sharply from the one they expected to follow, or even started paving. For those who want to put an end to their drug addiction, the chances of succeeding may… Read more »

Chance or Predisposition? I always thought becoming a drug addict could only happen to others. I became one myself fairly late, at about 35 year-old, having never taken any drugs or alcohol in my life. In fact, I was terrified of all drugs, of their ability to rob people of their self-control. I was a… Read more »