It was only after a few days on the floor that I knew I was in the right place at the right time. I had this trigger in my life that made me understand that I was now rooted. What I had always dreamed of in the helping relationship. For years, I doubted my ability… Read more »

  Before Portage (How I started taking drugs/alcohol and why) I was brought up with drugs, violence, manipulation and lying for as long as I can remember. When I was 11 or 12, I started using with my best friend and his mom. I would take pills or weed from my mom. She, her boyfriend… Read more »

Before Portage (How I started taking drugs/alcohol and why) I started taking drugs and alcohol at the age of twelve. I had just moved from a small town in the eastern townships to what I considered to be a big city. It was a difficult move for me at that time in my life. I… Read more »

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 »