By Gabriel, Renascent Alumni My entire life I felt I did not belong anywhere. I felt like the outsider, the one hiding amongst everyone else. I felt like I lived a double life. Only free to truly be myself when I was alone. I felt that it took me more effort to get to a … Continued
Having been in recovery for more than 8 years and an addictions counsellor for over 7 of those years, Renascent’s Martha Williams has supported hundreds of people in creating a new life without drugs and alcohol. “My recovery is my lifestyle and has been built around certain things that I MUST do,” says Martha. “I … Continued
By Charles McMulkin, Spiritual Care Counsellor, Renascent Every person’s spiritual journey is unique. Regardless of one’s personal beliefs, Christmas is a season that lends itself to spiritual rebirth and growth. Depending on your own spiritual journey you may accept the Christmas story, or believe the whole thing is a fairy tale that never happened. Either … Continued
By Brendan Z., Renascent Alumni The Twelfth Step presents us with the principle of Service. I found myself around my 6-month marker feeling anxious that while I was working through the Steps in their order as it was suggested, I felt I should already be of service to the program and others. Alcoholics Anonymous and … Continued
By Sue, Renascent Alumni My journey to Step 1 began many years ago and resulted in many failures because, I never “admitted that (I) was powerless over alcohol and that (my) life had become unmanageable”. I could control my drinking. I could get up and go to work in the morning despite the hangovers. I … Continued
For almost 16 years Olga had been using drugs and alcohol before she began treatment at Renascent’s Graham Munro Treatment Centre. “I couldn’t grasp the idea of sobriety – it scared me,” says Olga. “I didn’t know how to live daily life in such a way that would bring me joy, and I didn’t know … Continued
In the recovery community, the term ‘12 Steps’ comes up almost constantly, in one variation or another. In most in-person 12-step meetings, the steps themselves are outlined in banners or boards hanging on the walls, and are recited during the preamble of every meeting. If you’re new to recovery or just wonder what all the … Continued
Meet Rajarshi Bhattacharjee (Raj). He is Renascent’s Regional Coordinator for Breaking Free, a free online recovery support tool designed to help people recovering from addiction develop coping skills and access resources. We caught up with Raj to learn more about him, his role and Breaking Free. 1) What brought you to Renascent? After moving from … Continued
Sylvia remembers the moment she hit rock bottom. “In 1995 I was sitting at my $45 kitchen table, where Easter dinner was supposed to be,” she says, “and I had finished a whole bunch of cocaine. I suddenly knew this was it for me – if I kept living this way, I was going to … Continued
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. In fact, in order to be truly healthy, a person should prioritize their physical, spiritual, mental and social health. Dave McWilliams is an addictions counsellor at Renascent and is the organization’s Program Coordinator for Tobacco Cessation. Having been … Continued
