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 »
It’s not easy for parents to start a conversation about drugs with their children. But youths become vulnerable targets as soon as they set foot in school, where they quickly meet people who use drugs. That’s why parents must take the time to discuss this matter with their children. Sure, drug use is sometimes a… Read more »
The Portage drug rehabilitation centre in Cassidy Lake, New-Brunswick has been adapting its services to the needs of transgender youth since 2016. Discrimination and social exclusion often lead transgender youth to isolate themselves from others and develop drug and/or alcohol use problems. With this is mind, Portage has implemented structural changes aimed at providing a… Read more »
We interviewed Kathie Rodger, Director of the Portage Atlantic Centre for adolescents, to learn about her professional career and her role in our organization. Q: Hi Kathie, can you tell us how you started your career? Sure! I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I was younger. After fantasizing about becoming a… Read more »
It was March 11, 2018, a week after my ex-boyfriend was incarcerated, I was scared of not having enough drugs to get a high and seeing as he protected me, I felt alone and in danger. I felt the withdrawal symptoms setting in and didn’t have any drugs. I reached out to someone that I… Read more »
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 »
Adolescence is a time of life when teenagers seek independence and when they want more than ever to be accepted by their peers. While this is perfectly normal, as parents, we often wonder what types of behaviours we need to question as possible indicators that our child is misusing or abusing drugs. Dowload the file… Read more »
