Annie’s Story
My birth mother was only 16 when she found out she was pregnant so she had me and gave me up for adoption. I was adopted into an Irish Catholic family in Toronto where both my parents were alcoholics. It was an unpredictable, chaotic and dysfunctional home. There was...
Tania’s Story
I am a mother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, and a proud living example that recovery from addiction is possible. My name is Tania, and I am grateful to be in recovery from alcoholism. Only 11 short years ago, I was too ill to hold a job, or have any meaningful...
A Funeral March for Change
By: Angie Hamilton, Executive Director, Families for Addiction Recovery Angie Hamilton (left) and Irene Reilly-Paterson (right) It’s April 16 - the National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis 2019. On arriving at Queen’s Park, I’m offered a...
Doug’s Story
Hi, my name is Doug, and I am a person in recovery. This is my story. When I was 19, I got engaged, and shortly after she became pregnant. She broke off the engagement before the child was born and this absolutely crushed me. Over the next couple of months, out of...
A Failure of Caring; My Son’s Death
Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease that kills thousands of people yearly. Our son, Ian Maude, died of this disease at 32. Ian died because despite the loss of life and huge societal costs of this disease, it is not taught in our medical schools. He died...
Father’s Day
There are a few dates that are engrained in my mind - friends and family members birthdays, my sober date, the day I got engaged, and Father’s Day 2015. It’s a bit ironic since I don’t remember much from that year, or the seven years prior. I grew up...
The Dreamer
Written By: Rich Clune When I was a young boy, I was a dreamer. I wanted to be an NHL hockey player, a doctor, a lawyer, an actor, a father, and finally - live in a castle. My imagination ran wild, and my parents — in particular my mother, Anne Marie...
Our Journey with Myles
Myles was an intelligent, talented and caring young person. He loved learning and was an honor roll student. He was an active member in his school’s jazz band, concert band and choir, as well as being involved in many other extra-curricular activities. He loved...
My name is Colleen and I’m a person living in long term recovery.
It wasn't so much that I wanted to die as it was the idea that by ending my life, I would not have to endure any more of the thoughts and feelings I continued to experience at 20, 21, and 22. Events kept happening in my family and personal life; mom had cancer; I got...
My name is Kathleen and I’m a person living in long term recovery.
My name is Kathleen and I'm a person living in long-term recovery. My story is not a particularly unusual one, though I always imagined myself a particularly dramatic and tragic character who was more beyond help than most. Now that I’m in recovery I've learned...