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.
“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 »
I used to feel like I was born to be an addict. My biological mother drank and took heroine while she was pregnant with my twin brother and me. And addiction runs deep in my biological family. My parents, who adopted me when I was born, told me I would be more susceptible to addiction… 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 »
I’ve always wanted to help others, to serve something greater than myself and to make a difference. When I was younger, I always wanted to be involved in humanitarian efforts and dreamt of being part of Nurses Without Borders (NWB). Taking off to South America for example, to help those that are in need. But,… 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 »
A drug-addicted mother, like any other mom, wishes for the happiness of her children. However, she faces greater challenges than other mothers, in part because she must attend to her particular needs, as well as those of her child. Portage’s Mother & Child program allows her to do both, because it does not separate her… 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 »
