“We’ve all suffered in our past; we were lost and didn’t have the slightest clue how to even be happy. It’s as though the events in our lives were given to us as puzzle pieces to reach our goals. But none of the pieces ever fit together no matter how hard we tried. Our puzzle pieces may not have fit before but being here we have found that every one of us has a piece of that puzzle in him. And we’ve completed the first step to reaching our happiness.” –Luna 

"My life really changed with respect to my relationship with my son.  I feel more valued, I feel a lot closer to him.  I have more confidence in myself, in my role as a mother, and I feel less guilty." - Maude

"The most important transformation that I underwent at Portage was to increase my self-confidence and to learn how to manage my emotions. Before I went to Portage, I managed my emotions with drugs. Now, I can deal with everyday situations much better that I used to - I can face these situations. I'm working to become an engineer." - Miguel

“Once you make the decision that drugs are no longer the solution for managing the ups and downs of everyday life – yes the ups as well as the downs, because happiness is sometimes just as hard to manage as sadness – you have to re-evaluate your social surroundings and cut the negative ties that you had, at one point, thought were your security. We have learned to choose honesty over manipulation, truth over lies, and self-respect over running away.” - Jean-François