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Rick Morton knew exactly how he wanted to spend his days in retirement. “I’ve seen a number of people retire and do nothing,” shares Rick. “I left with a plan. I wanted to volunteer.” And volunteer is exactly what he did. Rick took on a volunteer role at Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre (Sullivan Centre) … Continued
Growing up in a household characterized by alcoholism and abuse, Suzan felt different from her peers – and totally alone. “I found it hard to be a carefree kid,” she says, “because I was always concerned with what was going on at home. I couldn’t talk to my friends about it; they had ‘normal’ families. … Continued
By Logan Freeman, person in recovery What is mental illness stigma? In relation to mental illness, stigma is when someone is marked or discredited somehow, or reduced from being a whole person to being a stereotype or labeled as a collection of symptoms or a diagnosis (e.g. ‘psychotic’). The meaning of the word stigma is … Continued
After being in active addiction for five years, Keaton become desperate for help. “For the longest time I was in complete denial. It didn’t matter that addiction led me to institutions. Though that was where I gave up – in prison,” shares Keaton candidly. “I put my hands up and said I can’t quit on … Continued
After struggling for years with addiction, Hunter was admitted to Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre (Sullivan Centre) in the height of Ontario’s fourth wave of COVID-19. Though this was his first time in treatment, Sullivan Centre wasn’t new to Hunter. He sat in that exact building 17 years prior watching his father graduate from treatment. … Continued
Mark vividly recalls the accident that was the catalyst which started it all. In 1985, he and a friend were going for a motorcycle ride in Los Angeles, California. They hopped on their bikes and a few kilometers later the unimaginable occurred. A Toyota ran a red light and Mark hit the side of the … Continued
Marissa, Renascent Alumni My story begins like many others, with tales of a broken family, neglect and abuse. I have many good memories but bad ones are also painted throughout. My parents divorced when I was only 5 years old. By the age of seven, my mom was remarried to a very cruel man who … Continued
While the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic thrust many people into using virtually technology, this online world was already a core part of Kimberly O’Connor professional life. As an addiction counsellor and professional hypnotist, she always worked in a virtual environment, providing one-on-one support online through her private practice. So when Kimberly joined Renascent’s Virtual … Continued
Michael LeBlanc remembers the exact moment when he first declared that he wanted to become an addictions counsellor. At the time, he was in treatment himself at Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre (Sullivan Centre), for a debilitating addiction to crystal meth. Having started drinking at an early age, Michael’s addiction slowly progressed over the years. … Continued
Guy Bonnell has a long history with Renascent. It was almost 30 years ago that Guy attended Renascent’s first Recovery Shot Golf Tournament. At the time, Guy was just one year into his recovery. Since then, Guy has been a true Renascent champion, serving a myriad of roles, including chairing Renascent Recovery Shot, and sitting … Continued
