There is a strong connection between addiction and mental health disorders and the two are often mutually sustaining. People with this dual diagnosis often have to contend with a lack of available resources, a slow-moving system, and isolation. An Overstretched System On March 3, 2020, the Ontario Health Minister announced an unprecedented 25-million-dollar investment to… Read more »
Stories like Caroline’s are at the core of what we do at Portage. We are proud to share her story and to encourage other residents to share theirs. *Names are fictional for privacy. What lead you to start taking drugs and drinking, and why? I started drugs by wanting to escape my emotions from being… Read more »
Mathis is a turbulent, but very endearing child. He is an explorer, a cheerful boy, a ray of sunshine with boundless energy. He never wants to sleep and never says he’s tired. For many years, he would wake up several times a night; truth be told, he would do so up until he started taking… Read more »
I am moving out of HPCII in Griffintown in 3 weeks. I have come a long way in the last five years. Prior to 2015, I would have never dreamed that I would be where I am today. I never thought it would be possible to untangle all of my problems and find solutions.
May 2020: Mental Health Awareness Month In honor of mental health awareness month which has now come to a close, Portage is shedding some light on a common form of diagnosis that is often unrecognized by the general public: dual diagnosis. What is it? What are the warning signs? When and how should co-occurring disorders… Read more »
As quarantine continues to establish itself as the new normal, the majority of us are experiencing unfamiliar concepts. Boredom, free time, and unfamiliar anxiety, to name a few. With all of the humorous coronavirus content online, it’s normal to feel the effects of alcohol romanticism. Maybe you’re dealing with parenting, navigating working from home, or… Read more »
Quarantine is mentally and emotionally challenging, that’s for sure. Given the current state of the world, staying home is the new normal. For some, it can bring up feelings of anxiety, anger, frustration, depression, and even symptoms of PTSD. Here are 8 tips to help your mental health during these uncertain times. 1. Only Trust… Read more »
How do you know if your drug and/or alcohol use is considered excessive? Acknowledging that you may have an issue with addiction and seeking help can be very difficult. Here are 7 signs that indicate that you may have an issue with drugs and/or alcohol. 1. You Can’t Help but Drink and/or Do Drugs Once… Read more »
“Looking back on my life, it’s pretty easy to identify my lowest low. Although my addiction did give me plenty of low moments to choose from.
I was hiding in the woods after going on one of my biggest benders. I had been missing for 48 hours and my family and friends were out looking for me – they feared for the worst. I could see emergency vehicles searching for me from where I was hiding,”
“It’s never easy” used to say Claude Ruel, former Montreal Canadiens coach and winner of the 1969 Stanley Cup. That was certainly true for Donald Brashear whose rise to fame and fortune was followed by a sudden and brutal descent into the abyss. After fighting off his inner demons, Donald began working as an assistant… Read more »
