Before Portage (How I started taking drugs/alcohol and why) I started using drugs because I thought it made me more valuable to other people. When I didn’t use, I was lonely and had no friends. I had no self-confidence and I kept to myself. A few people in my childhood hurt me deeply by intimidating… Read more »
Before Portage (How I started taking drugs/alcohol and why) When I was only 13, I started using drugs in the bars I was going to, first as a client, then as an employee. I would drink a lot of alcohol (starting in the morning and continuing well into the night) and take speed. That lasted… Read more »
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 and… 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 »
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 »
