It all started for me at the age of sixteen, my friend had a bag of weed he got from his brother. All my friends were excited to try it... me not so much. I remember running around my friend’s house spraying Axe deodorant, because I did not want to get caught. I only had one little drag on it, I did not think it was very good weed because I didn't really feel anything, but that was the start of a life of drugs. That day on, everything changed.
Read MoreMy name is Jesse F and I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and alumni of Simon House Residence Society. Four years ago, I was dying of untreated alcoholism and drug addiction. My partner had just died of a cocaine overdose, and I was following in her path. I decided to get sober so I wouldn’t die the same way that she did.
Read MoreThis was really happening, and I had a bunch of feelings and emotions of uncertainty. Would they like me? Will I do well? Will I get along with everyone? All these thoughts kept popping into my head.
Read MoreIn recovery, I really get to show up. I get to see my family; I get to love and be loved. I get to do what I set my mind to do.
I had to do treatment, or I would go to prison. I had to do treatment, or I would go to prison.
Read MoreAt this time in my life, I couldn’t keep steady employment, lost a lot of important relationships and the trust of my family and close friends. During this time I was struggling with my mental health, all because of my addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Read MoreToday, I am a daddy again, and I now know that it's okay for fathers to ask for help. I can also show my girls that it's okay to seek help, especially when they don't know why they need it.
Read MoreI remember sitting handcuffed in the back of that police van that morning, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. It was finally over. I had once again destroyed my life. Can you imagine being arrested and feeling thankful for it?
Read MoreFor a decade, my life was consumed by crime, violence, and drugs before I found my way to Simon House. I lived on the streets where there are no rules, or morals.
Read MoreMy recovery journey was slow and painful, but it was absolutely worth every second of it.
Read MoreAttending Sweats with other clients on First Nations Lands helped me heal from my past traumas and learn to trust again. I've started speaking up more and working on things that were keeping me sick for so long. I'm now proud of who I am, and I'm grateful for the healthy relationships and support that I've found at Simon House.
Read MoreMy wife and I had just bought our first home, but illness meant I couldn’t work. When I was finally able to work again, we had already lost our car and our home. This time, I has also found a job where I could continue to feed my addiction.
Read MoreMy imagination wondered if I would drink again before I detoxed. Would I drink again right after detoxing? When will I drink again? When would I use again? Would I be able to get a job? I had plummeted so far down the scale that I had no dignity left.
Read MoreI called that number on the pamphlet twice a day until it finally paid off, and my call was returned. I had it set in my mind that this place —Simon House— was where I would get better.
Growing up as the descendent of a Residential School Survivor was not easy, and I've often wondered who my people were. My mom never talked about any family, having known very little about them herself.
Read MoreThe amount of healing I’ve experienced has helped grow my passion for sobriety, recovery, life, and love. Living sober has evoked so much more than just putting down the pipe.
Read MoreAt that moment, I looked up the empty street to my left and then to my right. In that second, I found myself thinking, “This is your home. This is where you live, here on these streets.”
Read MoreA favorite saying my old self used to say was, “If I am going to lose something, I want to feel it”. This may as well have been my life’s motto for the past two and a half decades.
Read MoreFrom the first day I arrived I was so honored to have been chosen among a small group to attend and help prepare the land for this very special ceremony.
Read MoreWhile I don't have many memories before the age of eight, I remember being woken up in the middle of the night by my mum, who handed me a garbage bag with instructions to put in my favourite toys and make it quick.
Read MoreI often picture myself in a boxing ring with addiction, getting beaten to a pulp. My corner had thrown in the towel years ago, but I was unable to walk away from the fight.
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