Families

THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
RECOVERY
RECOVERY CENTRE
www.thorperecoverycentre.org
Families
Fighting Back from Addiction
INSIDE:
• Thorpe’s Family Program
• Dad’s An Addict...Mom’s Going to Rehab
• The Cost of Addiction on Families
• The Drew’s - One Family’s Story
• Impact of Addiction on Intimacy
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
In This Issue
Addiction destroys families as
much as it destroys individuals.
Living with an addict is both
heartbreaking and exhausting.
Family members are torn
between how to help the addict
and how to avoid being sucked
into the addict’s world.
4
5
Beginning the Family Healing
At Thorpe Recovery Centre, we understand that
addiction is a family disease. We offer a 4 day Family
Program to help families better understand addiction
and how to begin their own recovery.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Addiction obliterates families. It shakes the very
ground of all that we know and trust. Whether it is a
spouse, parent, child or sibling addiction in the family
affects everyone.
Remember the Three C’s of
dealing with an addict:
• You didn’t CAUSE the addiction.
• You can’t CONTROL the
addiction.
• You can’t CURE the addiction.
10
12
Dad’s An Addict...Mom’s Going to
Rehab
Some dif cult questions that you may need to answer
for your children.
One Family’s Story
When you hold your child in your arms for the very
rst time, you never envision an addict. One families
journey and how the TRC Family Program changed
their lives.
If you would like to receive this
publication on a regular basis
please contact:
Pat Henry
path@thorperecoverycentre.org
RECOVERY
Thorpe Recovery Centre
P.O. Box 291
Blackfoot, Alberta T0B 0L0
www.thorperecoverycentre.org
PH: 780.875.8890
16
20
The Cost of Addiction on Families
Addiction costs are insidious, often creeping into a
person’s nances without notice.
The Impact of Addiction on
Intimacy
One of the earliest casualties from substance abuse is
intimacy. With the obsession of substances there is no
room in their lives for anyone else.
In Our Next Issue: Spring 2015
• TRC - Celebrating 40 years of Recovery
• The Stigma of Addiction & Mental Illness
• Stories of Recovery
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Mrs. Teressa Krueckl
Executive Director
Thorpe Recovery Centre
When a client comes into the Thorpe
Recovery Centre they are looking for
a safe place where they can begin to
understand the disease of addiction
and make those rst steps toward
living life in sobriety. But, what about
the loved ones who are left at home
feeling defeated? In many cases the
spouses, partners, and children of an
addict feel like walking away is the
best solution because they are lost
in understanding addiction and how
they can support their loved one in
recovery upon his/her return home. At
Thorpe Recovery Centre, we strive to
educate and include a client’s family
as much as possible—with respect
to privacy legislation and the client’s
wishes.
One of the best ways for a family to
learn about addiction and recovery is
to attend our four day Family Program
Workshop. This workshop is held
monthly, depending on attendance,
and educates adult family members
how to rebuild relationships,
set appropriate boundaries,
communicate effectively, and grow
in recovery with their loved one.
Although the program is designed for
family members of an addict, it is also
valuable education for close friends,
and professionals in social services.
In addition to our programming, we
recommend family members attend
Al-Anon Family Group Meetings for
external support. Please contact
our of ce for a list of meetings in
the Lloydminster area, or your local
addiction service centre for a listing in
your community.
An addict should not go through
recovery alone; neither should his/
her family. Thorpe Recovery Centre
provides holistic addiction treatment
services to ensure the road to
recovery is informed and built with a
strong foundation. If you, or someone
you know, would bene t from our
programming please phone our main
of ce or use our contact form on our
website; in both cases, your information
will be kept con dential.
I hope you enjoy this edition of
RECOVERY as much as we enjoy
sharing the information.
Recovery, Growth & New Life
Thorpe Recovery Centre offers a large scope
of treatment opportunities for those struggling
with addiction, their families and loved ones.
40 years of
Overcoming
Addiction
to Improve
Lives
2015.
• Medically Supported Detox Unit
• Client Assessments
• Residential Program (42 - 90 day programs)
• Specialty Outpatient Groups
• Refresher Program
• Family Program
Telephone: 780.875.8890
Toll Free: 1.877.780.875.8890
info@thorperecoverycentre.org
www.thorperecoverycentre.org
Thorpe
Recovery Centre
Overcoming Addiction to Improve Lives
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Begin
the
Family
Healing
Thorpe Recovery Centre’s Family Program is
speci cally designed for families to help them
learn new ways of coping with addiction: methods
that will promote recovery for both the family
and the addict. It can be incredibly confusing
for someone who is not addicted themselves to
understand someone else’s addictive behaviour.
The four day program runs Tuesday - Friday, on a
monthly basis.
Our Family Program provides an opportunity
for clients and their families to gain a better
understanding of their family of origin and current
family systems and begin the process of healing
together. Families and clients learn how to better
communicate, support each other emotionally
and establish appropriate boundaries. Having
both the families and clients together fosters
the healing process and brings the family closer
together. This has also been proven as a signi cant
factor in long term healing and recovery.
Topics covered include:
• Family Dynamics
• Recovering the Lost Self
• Boundaries
• Effective Communication
• Grief & Loss
Who Should Attend?
• Anyone whose life has been
affected by addiction.
• Anyone whose life has been
affected by someone else’s
addiction.
• Anyone who is in close relationship
with an addict. This includes:
parents, spouses, siblings, grand
parents, friends, extended family,
adult children, employers etc.
• Anyone who wants to learn how to
support someone in recovery.
• Professionals looking for information
on addiction and the family.
• You do not need to have a loved
one in the residential treatment
program at Thorpe Recovery Centre
to attend our Family Program.
For Family Program
dates and information
please contact:
Mrs. Brenda Hotvedt
Admissions, Family Program
Thorpe Recovery Centre
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
You
Don’t Have to Do This
Alone!
ADDICTION: A Family Disease
by
Serena Campbell-Barnes, MSc
Family Program Coordinator, Addictions Counselor
Thorpe Recovery Centre
“Any family, wife and children, who have had to live
with an alcoholic a number of years are bound to be
rather neurotic and distorted themselves.
They can’t help it.”
--Bill W., Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous
Addiction obliterates families. It shakes
the very ground of all that we know
and trust, and whether it happens
quickly or over time, addiction will take
its toll on all those who come in contact
with it. Whether it is a spouse, parent,
child, or sibling, addiction in the family
affects everyone. Every drug causes
different effects, but the family feels the
impact of the addiction regardless of
the addict’s drug of choice. For most
family members who love an addict, it
feels as though they are witnessing a
slow suicide. Each day they lose a little
bit more of the man, women, or child
they love until what remains is merely
a shadow of the person they knew. As
addiction takes hold of the individual,
it becomes the main motivating factor
in their life, most often at the cost of all
that was important to them including
work, school, daily responsibilities
and familial relationships. No one is
prepared for this, and it is dif cult to
comprehend. Many family members
begin to question themselves,
wondering where they went wrong;
yelling, crying, criticizing, cajoling,
begging, xing, ignoring, trying only
that much harder to stop the pain and
save their loved one. For most, attempt
after attempt is repeatedly met with
failure. Within this place of helplessness
families experience profound grief,
stress, con ict and anxiety as a
consequence of trying to protect the
family member from the dangers and
harms associated with the substance
and to limit the damage arising from
their behaviour towards the rest of the
family.
Family members who live with
addiction may become traumatized
to varying degrees by the experience.
Broad swings, from one end of
the emotional, psychological and
behavioral spectrum to the other, all
too often characterized the addicted
family system. Living with addiction
can put family members under unusual
stress. Normal routines are constantly
being interrupted by unexpected or
even frightening kinds of experiences.
What is being said often doesn’t
match up with what family members
sense, feel beneath the surface or see
right in front of their eyes. The addict
as well as family members may bend,
manipulate and deny reality in their
attempt to maintain a family order
that is gradually slipping away. The
entire system becomes absorbed by
a problem that is slowly, sometimes
quickly, spinning out of control. Within
this process families have a remarkable
ability to maintain what family therapists
call homeostasis, unfortunately it is
often at the cost of the individuals. The
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
family will generally reach as a unit
to balance itself. In addicted family
systems, this becomes a dysfunctional
sort of balance. Family members can
become consumed by the disease to
such an extent they lose their sense
of normal. Their life becomes about
hiding the truth from themselves,
their children and the world around
them. Trust and faith in an orderly and
predictable world is challenged as their
family life becomes chaotic, promises
are broken and those they depend
upon for support and stability behave
in untrustworthy ways. Both children
and adults in the family may lose their
sense of themselves and on whom and
what they can depend. Because the
disease of addiction is progressive,
family members seamlessly slip into
patterns of relating that become
increasingly more dysfunctional.
Family members may withdraw into
their own private worlds or compete
for the little love and attention that is
available. In the absence of reliable
adults, children in the system may
become “parenti ed” and try to
provide the care and comfort that
is missing for each other. During
early childhood years, living in this
intense emotional environment can
set up a fear of feeling or patterns of
attachment that are lled with anxiety
6
and ambivalence. In their youth,
children of addicted parents may feel
overwhelmed with powerful emotions
that they are developmentally illequipped
to process and understand
and often lack the family support
they need. As a result, they may
resort to severe internal defenses,
such as shutting down their own
feelings, denying there is a problem,
rationalizing, intellectualizing, overcontrolling,
withdrawing, acting out or
self medicating, as a way to control
their inner experience of chaos.
The addiction devolves healthy family
functioning and the dominating family
rule: “Don’t talk, Don’t trust, Don’t feel”
extends to everyone in the system.
This results in a kind of emotional and
psychological constriction, where
family members do not feel free to
express their authentic selves for fear
of triggering disaster; their genuine
feelings are often hidden under
strategies for keeping safe, like pleasing
or withdrawing. The family becomes
more and more organized around
trying to manage the unmanageable
disease of addiction. They become
remarkably skilled at walking on
eggshells, ready to run for emotional
or physical shelter or to erect their
defenses at the rst sign of trouble.
Broad swings,
from one end of
the emotional,
psychological and
behavioral spectrum
to the other, all too
often characterized
the addicted family
system.
Because family members avoid sharing
subjects that might lead to more pain,
they often wind up avoiding genuine
connection with each other and
are left with overwhelming amounts
of emotional pain. Ultimately these
painful feelings tend to build up and rise
to the surface in emotional eruptions
or get acted out through impulsive
behaviours, often at the expense of the
individual and/or those close to them.
Within this context the guilt and shame
family members feel about the erratic
behaviour within their walls often
keeps them isolated and from seeking
outside support and unknowingly sets
up the addicted family to become a
closed system that both maintains the
addiction and perpetuates trauma.
This destructive cycle profoundly
affects the internal world of each
person, their relationships and their
ability to communicate and be
together in a balanced, relaxed and
trusting manner. Unless the “elephant
in the living room” is interrupted
and outside support is sought, it will
continue to increase in size and force
and the family will be further squashed
under its weight.
For many family members this journey
takes a tremendous toll; they are tired,
angry, confused and at times hopeless.
Many desperately hang onto the
hope that their loved one will sober
up and put an end to their own and
the addict’s suffering. For some, when
their loved one enters treatment, it is
the rst time they are able to breathe
in a very long time, and just maybe,
believe it is safe to hope again. Hope
that if the addict quits using, all will be
OK. And although treatment for the
addict is certainly a good rst step, just
like the addiction itself, the process of
recovery is complex and progressive.
Research shows that the emotional
turbulence within a family produced

THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
by addiction continues well into the
rst three to ve years of recovery. Just
like support for the addict is critical,
so it is for the family. Family recovery
begins with what are, in essence,
individual recoveries of its members.
The addict is only one piece of the
puzzle. A family that has been deeply
impacted and traumatized to some
degree by living with addiction needs
support. Everyone in an addicted
family system deserves and needs to
get help and the sooner they get it,
the sooner the family can start to heal.
It is in this context that family members
can play their most important role in
the recovery of their loved one and
the family as a whole. Family members
who seek support for themselves,
whether the support is independent
from their addicted loved one or
offered through a family program in
their loved one’s treatment centre,
become powerful weapons in the ght
against the addiction. In fact, research
suggests that family involvement can
also foster better engagement of
addicted individuals in treatment and
improve treatment outcomes. Family
interventions enable family members
to heal the pain of the past, to take
better care of themselves today and
to contribute to a family environment
that no longer fuels addiction, but
rather supports healthy change.
Everyone in an
addicted family
system deserves and
needs to get help and the
sooner they get it, the
sooner the family can start
to heal.
If you have been impacted by
someone else’s addiction or would
like to receive more information about
addiction as a family disease contact
the Thorpe Recovery Centre Family
Program. We offer a four day monthly
program where friends and family
can enter into their own journey of
healing from this devastating disease
and begin to experience the hope of
recovery.
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
ADDICTIONS
COST
STATISTICS
4 The number of times
biological children of alcoholics
are more likely to become
alcoholics compared to
children of non-alcoholics.
ONE BILLION
DOLLARS YEARLY.
By Doug Lett
Producer Global News
16 The percentage of
men exposed to addiction in
childhood.
20 The percentage of
women exposed to addiction in
childhood.
SASKATOON - Addictions cost Saskatchewan around one-billion dollars a year
and for the country, the gure is closer to 40 billion dollars a year. That’s according
to Dr. Colleen Anne Dell, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Substance
Abuse at the University of Saskatchewan.
34 The percentage of
physicians who reported taking
a family substance abuse history
on their pediatric patients.
“When you look at Canada, it’s $17-billion for tobacco, $15-billion for alcohol and
$7-billion for illicit drugs,” she told Global News. “I don’t think people realize what
an impact it does have,” she said. “That is things like lost productivity, health care
costs, mortality...law enforcement costs as well - it averages about $1,300 per
person.
While alcohol is part of Canadian society, Dell says it can have a tremendous
impact on a person’s life.
The children of addicted
parents are more likely to
become addicted themselves.
They have poor coping skills
and more antisocial behaviours
and face depression at a higher
rate.
“Obviously drunkenness can impact social relationships, for women breast cancer,
we’re seeing more and more research on the linkage between alcohol intake and
breast cancer, liver cirrhosis...there are impacts that we don’t really think through
as a society.”
--From the study “Trajectories of Psychological
Distress among Canadian Adults who
Experienced Parental Addiction in Childhood”
by Kellie A. Langlois and Rochelle Garner, for
Stats Canada.
And she added, they are seeing some distrubing trends in drinking patterns.
“More young women are binge drinking now, to the equivalent level of males, so
you’re seeing higher rates of impacts that way.”
While society is learning more about the effects, she says rates of abuse do
not appear to be changing much. Since 2012 several provinces have shown
an increase in the sales of alcohol with the largest increases coming from
Newfoundland and Labrador at 20% and Saskatchewan at 15.9%. (Canadian Centre
for Substance Abuse, Levels and Patterns of Alcohol in Canada.)
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Are You Empowering
or Enabling?
The desire to help others, especially those
who mean the most to us, is one of the
noblest of human instincts.
Parents want to help their children succeed in school.
Spouses want to help each other solve the problems that
life throws at them. Friends want to help each other at work
or in their personal relationships. Unfortunately, though,
this well-meaning impulse can back re tragically when
addiction is part of the occasion.
In one sense, “enabling” has the same meaning of
“empowering”. It means lending a hand to help people
accomplish things they could not do by themselves.
More recently, however, it has developed the specialized
meaning of offering help that perpetuates rather than
solves a problem. A parent who allows a child to stay home
from school because he hasn’t studied for a test is enabling
irresponsibility. The spouse who makes excuses for his hungover
partner is enabling alcohol use. The friend who lends
money to a drug addict so he won’t be forced to steal is
enabling that addiction.
Those who habitually enable dysfunctional behaviour are
often referred to as co-dependent. It’s a telling word,
because an enabler’s self-esteem is often dependent on
his or her ability and willingness to “help” in inappropriate
ways. This “help” allows the enabler to feel in control of
an unmanageable situation. The reality, though, is that
enabling not only doesn’t help, but it actively causes harm
and makes the situation worse.
By stepping in to “solve” the addicts problems, the
enabler takes away any motivation for the addict to
take responsibility for his or her own actions. Without that
motivation, there is little reason for the addict to change.
Enablers help addicts dig themselves deeper into trouble.
It can be a ne line between helping and enabling. Letting
a teenager ignore chores while studying for nals may
be helpful. Dismissing that teenager’s drug use, drinking,
bullying, de ance or violence as “just part of being that
age” is not helping.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering
whether you are an enabler:
• Do you often ignore unacceptable behaviour?
• Do you nd yourself resenting the responsibilities you take on?
• Do you consistently put your own needs and desires aside in
order to help someone else?
• Do you have trouble expressing your own emotions?
• Do you ever feel fearful that not doing something will cause a
blowup, make the person leave you, or even result in violence?
• Do you ever lie to cover for someone else’s mistakes?
• Do you consistently assign blame for problems to other people
rather than the one who is really responsible?
• Do you continue to offer help when it is never appreciated or
acknowledged?
If these questions make you think you might be an enabler,
it is important that you take action. If the addict you are
enabling is in treatment, then you, too, should take part in
the process. If the addict is not in treatment, you should
explore your own issues, either with a personal counselor,
through an organization such as Al-Anon, or by taking part
in Thorpe Recovery Centre’s Family Program.
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
“My Dad’s
an addict.”
“My Mom’s
going to
rehab.”
BY
DAVID SACK, MD
HUFFINGTONPOST.COM
These are not easy conversations
These are not easy conversations
addicted homes. Lack of consistent
to have with a child, even one that discipline can produce de cits in selfcontrol
has long been aware that there’s a
and personal responsibility,
problem. More than 35% of North or conversely, over-control or hypervigilance.
Americans are children of alcoholics,
Children may even feel
yet addiction isn’t being talked about that their parent’s drug problem and
in most homes. Instead, children grow subsequent breakup of the family or
up facing a lifetime of issues other kids removal of the child from the home
don’t need to manage. They tend that sometimes ensues is their fault.
to have more emotional behaviour
and academic problems than other Their emotions run a confusing gamut.
kids and are four times more likely to At once resentful of and loyal to
become addicted themselves. They their addicted parent, children are
are also at greater risk of abuse and reluctant to open up and share
neglect, witnessing domestic violence long-held family secrets, even if they
later in life.
desperately want the support. They
may have a strong self-preservation
As children learn to fend for instinct, but at the same time, they’re
themselves to survive, unpredictability not sure if they deserve to take care of
and chaos become the norm in their own needs when their parent is
10
spiraling out of control. The con icting
feelings continue as children get a
glimmer of hope when their parent
promises to quit even though they’ve
been disappointed repeatedly.
In this impossible situation what can
parents, caretakers or other adults
say to their children? How do they
explain the wreckage of addiction to
someone who, as a young age, has
already been overexposed to some of
the darkest potentialities of life?
Time the Conversation
A conversation about a parent’s
addiction is best had when there are
no distractions and the situation is
relatively calm. If possible, bring it up
when there is a plan in place to get

THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
help for the addicted parent. Explain
that there’s a problem and you’re
taking steps to improve the situation.
Talk about what will change (e.g.,
Mom or Dad will go to rehab, or one
parent may move out if separating or
divorcing). Repeat the conversation
as often as needed so that the child
feels comfortable having an ongoing
dialogue.
Keep It Age Appropriate
The language you use and the level
of detail you provide depend on the
age and maturity of the child. Break
the issues down as simply and directly
as possible and nish with a message
of hope.
Tell the Truth
Although you’ll need to use different
terms depending on the age of the
child, you should always be honest
about the problem. Children have
an innate ability to read when adults
are lying. Explain that addiction is a
disease caused by a number of factors,
including genetics, environment and
past trauma. Similar to people with
diabetes and heart disease, their
parent is sick and needs treatment to
feel better.
Get Educated
Educate yourself about the disease of
addiction so you are in a position to
answer any questions the child may
have. If you don’t know the answer,
work on nding one together.
Acknowledge the Impact
Rather than skirt around the impact a
parent’s addiction has had, validate
the child’s experience. Apologize for
the pain in icted on the child and ask
open-ended questions about how
they’ve been feeling.
Release the Shame
One of the most important things for
children to understand is the addiction
is not their fault. They didn’t cause their
parent to abuse drugs or alcohol and
they cannot cure or control it. This can
be hard for children to understand
especially if the addicted parent
blamed their drug abuse on a child’s
behaviour (e.g., “I wouldn’t need
to drink if you’d do your chores.”).
Children need help to understand that
what the addict says and does under
the in uence isn’t really who they are
or how they feel. Addiction hijacks the
brain and just as the child is powerless
to stop it, the parent is out of control
as well.
Put things into Perspective
Children from addicted homes tend to
idealize other families without realizing
they have struggles of their own. Help
them understand that they are not
alone; in fact, millions of children are
in the same situations. They are normal
kids thrust into an unhealthy home
environment who are doing their best
to cope with an extremely stressful
situation.
Invite Dialogue
After being disconnected from
themselves and others, it may take
practice for the child of an addict to
be able to identify and process their
emotions. To combat the secretiveness,
fear and loneliness addiction brings,
encourage them to talk about their
feelings without criticism or judgment.
Teach the Seven C’s
According to the National Association
for Children of Alcoholics, children
need to know the “Seven C’s of
Addiction”:
• I didn’t Cause it.
• I can’t Cure it.
• I can’t Control it.
• I can Care for myself by
Communicating my feelings,
making healthy Choices, and
by Celebrating myself.
Find Additional Sources of
Support
Just as the addicted parent needs
treatment and support to get well,
children need to know there are
resources available to help them
process their emotions. If they don’t
feel comfortable talking with a parent
or relative, they can reach out to a
teacher, counselor, family therapist,
religious leader or support group such
as Al-Ateen.
The toughest topics are often the most
important to approach with children.
For each day that a child lives with
an addict, damage is being done.
And while not every child will fall prey
to addiction or other emotional or
behavioural disorders, they need
honest discussion and support in order
to beat the odds.
From the Thorpe Book Store
My Dad Loves Me, My Dad Has a
Disease: A Childs view, Living with
Addiction, (1997), 3rd Revised edition
by Claudia Black.
When Something Terrible Happens;
Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief
(1991), by Marge Heegaard
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Will my
baby be an
addict?
The Drew Family
Alumni
Thorpe Recovery Centre Family Program
When you hold your child in your arms for the
very rst time, you never envision an addict.
We believe that if we simply love them
we can save them from the evils of the
world. Our family’s story is one of hope,
love and healing and a belief that
Angels do walk among us. They led
us to Thorpe Recovery Centre.
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
We were introduced to (TRC) Thorpe
Recovery Centre in December,
2013 after our young son Tayler was
hospitalized after reaching a critical
state in his drug addiction. The details
of how he got there are really not that
important now as I look back over the
months leading up to the climax. These
stories are often riddled with feelings
of fear, despair, disappointment,
betrayal and an overwhelming feeling
of isolation and lack of control. Hold
that thought because by the end of
it you will realize you really never had
any control anyway!
In the detox centre in Calgary, Tayler
was introduced to the tough reality
of addiction. He learned that he
was actually being sold a lethal drug
(Fentanyl) used to treat patients who
were in severe pain, laced with heroin.
He also learned at detox that his road
would be long and hard through
recovery. For a 20 year old man who
should be out in the world making
a mark for himself working hard and
playing hard, this was not good news.
But he was alive and that was a
miracle.
We arrived at Thorpe Recovery Centre
on a very bright and cold day in
December. They were expecting us,
and after Tayler mustered up enough
courage to enter those doors we were
met by a staff of professional and kind
human beings who knew how hard
this was for all of us. They invited us to
come in and stay with him for a few
moments. We noticed how warm and
inviting the facility was. The people
with whom we interacted seemed
to understand the emotions we were
going through. Todd (Counselor
Supervisor) met with us before we left
and I will never forget something he
said. I told him how afraid I was to lose
my son to drugs. He sat quietly and seemed to click because over the next
allowed me to talk about my fears and few days he was able to let go and
my feelings before he said something embrace the program and the people
along the lines of, “Jessie, you really who were a part of it. Our weekly
don’t have any control over whether conversations were different. He was
or not your son lives or dies. He may expressing his feelings and I will never
die yet. All you can do is get out of ever forget the day he told me that he
the way of the disease and allow it wasn’t a bad person after all, and he
to unfold the way it needs to. That is felt almost normal for the rst time in a
how your son will have a chance at very long time.
He felt he’d been placed
there against his will and
couldn’t envision 6-8
weeks of being there
alone, without his family.
He was ying solo for the
rst time in his life.
recovery”. I thought he was speaking
a foreign language at the time. I was
used to ghting! As a parent, aren’t
you supposed to do anything and
everything to protect your child?
It was after a conversation with
Tayler’s counselor Tammy, that I made
the decision to attend an Al-anon
meeting. Tammy called me at work
to check on me. We chatted for a
few minutes and at the end of the
Within 24 hours, Tayler was angry. He
felt he’d been placed there against his
will and couldn’t envision 6-8 weeks of
being there alone, without his family.
He was ying solo for the rst time in his
life. Again, Todd was there to talk with
him, allowing him the space to process
his feelings and talk it out. You see, this
young man was really good at hiding
his feelings. He could put on a bright
call she quietly said, “Jessie, all we
talked about today was how Tayler
was doing. Next time we talk, I’d like
to talk about you. What you are doing
to get the help you need.?” I hadn’t
even considered that before. She
suggested a number of books to read
while Tayler was in treatment and told
me that Al-Anon was a great support
for families going through similar issues
cheery smile and make you believe with their loved ones. I promptly
everything was OK. But, it wasn’t. He
had been spiraling downward into
depression since high school and using
drugs to self medicate. Something
downloaded a number of the titles on
my i-Pad, but it was slow going. I could
only manage a few pages before
the feelings overwhelmed me. I was
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
grieving. Tammy was a pretty smart
cookie! I read stories about families
who lost the battle and those who
found recovery. In every short story,
there seemed to be a common theme
of nding serenity no matter what the
outcome. I needed some of that. I
needed to start to nd some serenity!
We spent Christmas Eve in a hotel
room in Edmonton that year, for the
opportunity for 3 1/2 hours with Tayler
on Christmas Day. His doting big sister
came too, and I can honestly tell you
that it was the BEST Christmas ever.
When we got to the doors and they
buzzed us in we were vibrating with
emotion and excitement. They call
him to tell him he had visitors and the
vision I saw coming down the hall will
be forever etched in my memory. My
son! He was HUGE! His cheeks were
pink and full and his legs and arms and
chest had lled out. The smile ... Oh
that smile! That crease in his cheek,
and those beautiful hazel eyes that
sparkled. He hugged us tight and all
I could do was stare at him. For hours
I stared. We talked, we cried, we
hugged (a lot). We chatted with some
of the staff and they all seemed to
have a kind word to say about our son.
I knew when I left there that afternoon
we had a support system at Thorpe to
help him through whatever he needed
to go through. My son was back. He
had a chance.
Family Program was something Faye
and Todd discussed with us at the time
our son was admitted. They told us that
when families were able to participate
in the program and learn about the
disease, recovery rates went up. That
was enough for us to eagerly agree to
participate! We would do anything
to save our son. I laugh as I write this
because although I truly believe that
is a fact, I believe we were also saving
ourselves and our family.
January 17 we arrived in Lloydminster
at the Thorpe to participate in the four
day program. It was there that the
healing started. We listened and cried
as each family shared their story that
rst day. A common thread through
all stories was one of love. We met
families a lot like our own. A little broken
maybe, but not so broken we couldn’t
heal. We learned about addiction
and what happens to your brain when
it is responding to drugs. We learned
about the disease of addiction. That
our loved ones weren’t bad and we
weren’t bad. We learned there was
help and there was hope.
The last day of the Family Program, our
loved ones had a opportunity to meet
with us and tell us how the addiction
had impacted them and what they
needed from us. We were able to
speak to do the same. As we sat in a
circle, each client had an opportunity
to talk with his family member. It was
very powerful. We saw and felt the
love from each family as it progressed
through the day. My son was able to
express to me in a loving way what
he needed from me. He wanted a
healthy relationship where he could
be allowed to grow and become
the man he needed to be. You see,
when a child falls into addiction at 17
or 18, he stops growing up. You start to
compensate for that, and they don’t
have to face the hard consequences
of their behaviour. And the crazy
making continues.
We left Thorpe at the end of that last
day, a very bitter and cold day in
January, with our son in the backseat
neatly buckled into his seat with his
very grateful and doting big sister. It
felt very similar to bringing a child
home from the hospital after they were
born. You don’t have a clue what to
expect and you are more afraid than
you’ve ever been. You’ve been given
lots of tools and information, but when
you leave those protective arms of
the centre and their wonderful staff,
My son was able to express
to me in a loving way what he
needed from me. He wanted
a healthy relationship where
he could be allowed to grow
and become the man he
needed to be.
you feel pretty vulnerable and alone!
What you don’t realize is that it’s not up
to you to keep the addict clean. It’s
up to you to work your program so you
can stay sane!
I remember having a conversation with
my Higher Power not long after Tayler
returned home. It was late and he
wasn’t home yet. My mind was going
places I knew it shouldn’t go. I was
winding myself into a frenzy, pacing
the oor. I tried to use all of the tools I
had learned at Thorpe. I prayed. A lot.
A taxi slowed in front of our house and
my son sat in the car for a long time.
As he got out I could hear him through
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
the windows chatting happily with
the taxi driver. When he came into
the house he told me about having
a long conversation with the women
driver about her son and his battle with
addiction. He had been trying to help
her. I chuckled to myself after I had
started to breath again. His Higher
Power has this. I really need to let go
and let him handle this!
It’s been quite a year and I won’t lie
and tell you it’s been all roses. It’s
been hard. But one thing I do know for
sure is this: There is hope. You didn’t
cause your loved one to be an addict
and you sure as hell can’t control it.
There is no cure, but the upside of that
one is that you get to re-frame your life
in a way that holds riches you never
thought possible before. You need to
hold people capable to nd their own
answers, in their own way, at their own
pace.
I spent many hours over the past three
or four years planning my son’s funeral:
Scanning photos to share at his service
so people could remember the real
Tayler. The son I adored, a dear friend
to many, the kind hearted kid who
would give you the shirt off his back,
the soccer star, the loving grandson,
the cherished brother. I can truly say
I am grateful for the opportunity to
go through the darkness to receive
the riches of serenity. To have real
conversations for the very rst time.
To be truly honest and express those
feelings. To not feel completely
overwhelmed by the gravity of the
weight I felt on my shoulders to try and
save him. I can tell you I am grateful
for the disease.
My wish for anyone reading this article
is to reach out and ask for help. You
don’t have to do this alone. Attend
an AA or NA meeting, or in the case of
family, Al-Anon. They will receive you
with kindness. They won’t tell you what
to do. They will listen and love you.
What they won’t do is lie to you. They
won’t enable you. They won’t get out
in front of your problem and try and
manipulate an outcome. Whether
you are the addict or family member,
there is hope.
I cannot say enough about the Thorpe
Recovery Centre and its staff. I feel
forever changed by their guidance
of our family through this process. The
Family Program is a must for anyone
who has somebody they love touched
by this disease. Whether they are in
recovery or not, you can bene t and
through you, so will they.
I sent a daily email to my son through
his program. His counselor shared
with me that Tayler stood at her door
each morning waiting patiently for
that email. Every day. He said it got
him through and quite frankly it got me
through too. One morning I sent him
the verse “Love is Patient, Love is Kind.”
He said it had been mistakenly placed
in another client’s mail box, who really
needed to hear it. I think it’s kind of
ironic isn’t it? Angels among us...
I will end with the verse because I
believe it might be what you needed
to hear as well.
Corinthians 13:4-8a
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not
boastful or proud or rude. It does not
demand its own way. It is not irritable,
and it keeps no record of being
wronged. I does not rejoice about
injustice, but rejoices whenever the
truth wins out. Love never gives up,
never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance...
...love will last forever!”
Thank you Thorpe Recovery Centre
and all of the compassionate and
skilled souls who walk within those
walls. You’ve allowed our family so
much growth and healing and hope.
HOW TO
STRENGTHEN
YOUR FAMILY’S
RESILIENCY
1. Practice Self-care.
Don’t be tempted to put aside your
own needs to preserve the family.
The best thing you can do for
your family is continue to work the
program.
2. Have fun as a family.
It isn’t always about big vacations, it
can be as simple as walking the dog
together, baking cookies or doing
some other family oriented activity.
3. Focus on the positive.
Catch your kids doing something
right and praise them for it. This
builds self-esteem and promotes
positive behaviours.
4. Engage your community.
Attend events and take advantage
of community programming. You
and your kids will feel connected to
your community and enjoy a sense
of belonging.
5. Accept and validate feelings.
You don’t have to x the problem
or rescue your child. Having the ear
of a caring and empathetic parent
is the best support when a child is
struggling with strong feelings.
6. Switch up your family roles.
Are you the “caretaker” in your
family? Try letting others step into
that role for a while. In healthy
families when one gets sick or is
unable to do their regular function
another steps in to help out. You
can learn to shift in and out of family
roles as the need arises.
By Lis Muise, Edgewood News, 2013
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
The
Cost of
ADDICTION
on
Families
“Addiction costs are insidious,
often creeping into a person’s
nances without notice...This makes
people less likely to realize how damaging
the nancial impact of addiction is until it’s
too late.”
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Drug addiction and alcoholism
are addictions that most people
are familiar with, but there are
many addictions families suffer
from. The fact is that any addiction
from drugs and cigarettes to shopping
and gambling can have disastrous
social and nancial consequences.
When the addict has a family, the cost
of the addiction can wreck the home
and have long-lasting effects on every
person he or she touches.
Addictions and Poverty
There’s a reason why addictions are
often associated with poverty. Many
addictive behaviours begin as a
method of escapism and pleasure
seeking, and people who suffer
nancially are often drawn to them
as a means to avoid serious problems.
Addictions provide instant grati cation,
which is something sorely lacking in
most low-income households that
struggle to survive from one paycheck
to the next.
The relationship between addiction
and poverty travels both ways,
however, and addictions can often
lead to nancial ruin or maintaining
healthy nances impossible. Simply
put, addictions are expensive to
maintain and their cost increases the
longer a person has them. Addictions
never level out; as it becomes harder
for a person to reach the same level of
satisfaction, they will need to engage in
addictive behaviours more and more
often, resulting in higher expenses.
Of course, secondary factors come
into play as well. Serious addictions
interrupt every facet of a person’s
life. I can lead to marital troubles
and divorce, loss of jobs and criminal
charges. In addition, many people
nd themselves ill equipped to deal
with life after quitting which leads them
back to their addictive behavours.
As the addict becomes embroiled
in deeper poverty and despair, they
often turn to the addiction for comfort,
causing a vicious self-ful lling cycle.
The Costs of Addiction
Addiction costs are insidious, often
creeping into a person’s nances
without notice. People who may
have a dif cult time paying off debt
or making regular rent payments
somehow always nd money to pay
for addictions; this is usually because
they are willing to make sacri ces to
feed the addiction. This makes people
less likely to realize how damaging the
nancial impact of an addiction is until
it’s too late.
Because addictions are cumulative,
they will cost more to maintain the
longer a person has them. For
example, if an addiction initially costs
$100 a month to maintain, it’s cost will
steadily climb to over $1,000 per month
as the “need” to satisfy the addiction
continues to grow. Estimates suggest
that hardcore drug addictions can
cost easily half of a person’s income
or more as the addiction steadily takes
over the addicts life.
Other Costs of Addiction
The cost of purchasing an addictive
substance or engaging in addictive
behaviours isn’t the only price that
addicts and their families pay. The
nancial side effects of poverty itself
begin to snowball the longer a person
lives hand-to-mouth. Bad credit,
missed payments, toxic debts and
late fees can all put further strains
on nances. When people neglect
household expenses to cover the cost
of addictions, these strains can reach
a breaking point.
Impact of Addiction on Families
There is a strong correlation between
addiction, poverty and abuse. Eighty
percent (80%) of child abuse and
neglect cases are associated with
some form of substance abuse no
matter the socioeconomic group. The
children of addicted parents are more
likely to become addicted themselves.
They have poorer coping skills and
more anti-social behaviours.
It’s easy to brush off addiction as
something that other people suffer
from. It’s harder to see our own
addictions. The truth is that addictions
are rarely as clear-cut and obviously
evil as after-school specials and drug
prevention commercials want us
to believe. For people in the midst
of addiction, it simply feels like a
lifestyle and it’s always easy to justify
behaviours.
People must ultimately make a choice
between the instant grati cation of an
addiction or the long-lasting, healthy
rewards of good nancial habits and
planning for the future. Buy recognizing
and honestly assessing their habits,
making a concentrated effort to stop,
building a support group and seeking
professional help, addicts can begin to
regain control of their lives. Over time,
this will enable them to take the rst
step toward nancial freedom.
_____________________________________
Jessica Bosari, Contributor
2014 FORBES on Line: onforb.es
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HELP FOR
THE FAMILY
An addiction destroys families as much as it destroys individuals. Living
with an addict is both heartbreaking and exhausting. Family members
are torn between how to help the addict and how to avoid being sucked
into the addicts world.
2Things you can do for
the Yourself.
1Things you can do for
the Addict.
• Behave exactly as you would
if your loved one had a serious
illness. What would you do if they
were diagnosed with heart disease
or cancer?
• Educate yourself on addiction and
recovery.
• Try not to accuse or judge. Avoid
name calling. This is a dif cult time
for both of you.
• Provide a sober environment that
reduces triggers for using.
• Allow the addict time to go to
meetings.
• Understand that your lives will
change. Do not wish for your old life
back. Your old life to some extent
is what got you here. You both
need to create a new life where it is
easier to not use alcohol or drugs .
• Make sure that your both have
time for fun. People use alcohol
and drugs to relax, escape and as
a reward. The addict needs to nd
alternative ways to relax, escape
and as a reward otherwise they
will turn back to their addiction.
• Do not enable. Do not provide
excuses or cover up for the addict.
• Do not shield the addict from the
consequences of their addiction.
People are more likely to change
if they have suffered enough
negative consequences.
• Set boundaries that you all agree
on. The goals of boundaries is to
improve the health of the family as
a whole. Do not use boundaries to
punish or shame.
• If you want to provide nancial
support, buy the goods and
services the addict needs instead
of giving them money that they
might use to buy alcohol or drugs.
• Recognize and acknowledge the
potential the addict has within
them.
• Take care of yourself. Living with
an addict is exhausting. You also
need time to recover.
• Avoid self-blame, you can’t control
another person’s decisions, and
you can’t force them to change.
• Do not work harder than the
addict. The best approach is
to not do things for the addict,
but instead to be an example of
balance and self-care.
• Being a caretaker is not good for
you or the addict. Understand
that there is only so much you can
do to change the other person.
• Ask for help. Talk to a professional.
Go to a support group such as Al-
Anon.
• Do not argue or try to discuss
things with the addict when they
are under the in uence. If won’t
get you anywhere.
• If at all possible, try not to be
negative when dealing with the
addict. That may only increase
their feelings of guilt and push
them further into using.
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
3
Ways To Reestablish Family
Relationships After Rehab
The Three C’s of Dealing
with an Addict
• You didn’t Cause the addiction.
• You can’t Control the addiction.
• You can’t Cure the addiction.
“You can’t stop drinking or using
for another person.”
4Helpful Links for Family
and Friends of Addicts
• Al-anon.org For family members of
alcoholics.
• Nar-anon.org For Family members
of addicts.
• Gam-anon.org For Family
members of Gamblers.
• Coda.org For co-dependent
individuals.
• Adultchildren.org For adult
children of alcoholics and
addicts.
Examine Your “Old” Family Traditions
It’s a good idea to take stock of your “old” family traditions and ask yourself why they
existed and which ones are most important to you, your spouse/partner and the rest
of the family. You may be surprised at the number of things you did because that’s
the way it “should” be done.
As you think about the way you used to celebrate the holidays and how they will be
different from now on, it’s normal if part of you feels sad or angry. You are grieving for
what was and the part of your past that is nished. Acknowledge it and accept that
some things have to change as part of your journey to stay well. Usually, the things
that you must forgo, aren’t worth it anyway.
Decide What You Want Your New Family Traditions to Look Like
Here are some ideas to consider to help get you started.
• Find some festive non-alcoholic drink or punch recipes to serve to friends and
family instead of offering wine or hard liquor at your home.
• Look for healthier cookie and treat recipes to try -- and involve the entire family in
baking. Serve hot chocolate afterward.
• Decorate your home (inside and out) as a family.
• If going to the mall and going from store to store is too stressful, shop on-line and
arrange for items to be delivered to your home or to a local store for pick-up.
• Get outside to enjoy the fresh air.
• Pop some popcorn and plan a movie night for the entire family.
After rehab, it is possible to rebuild your relationships with your family. Spending time
together is an important part of the process. Take time this year, spring summer, fall or
winter, to establish new traditions so that all of you can move forward together.
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
IMPACT OF
ADDICTION
ON INTIMACY
Alcohol and drug abuse is the source of many
problems for those who engage in this behaviour.
One of the earliest casualties from substance
abuse will be intimacy.
It’s just not possible for people to abuse mind altering substances and
maintain healthy relationships. As the individual falls deeper into addiction it
will completely take over their life, and there will be no room for anyone else.
The person falls into a delusion and self absorption and they will stay that way
until they manage to escape their addiction. Once they enter recovery they
will need to work hard in order to regain the ability to be intimate and enjoy
healthy sexual relationships.
Intimacy Defined: The word intimacy comes from a Latin word meaning inner.
It can be de ned as particularly close interpersonal relationships that usually
involve both physical and emotional intimacy. Emotional intimacy can vary in
degree and it refers to the closeness that people feel for one another. Physical
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
intimacy most often refers to sexual
and romantic contact. An intimate
relationship is said to include a number
of elements such as:
• Trust
• Each individual will have extensive
knowledge about each other.
• Will feel affection and care for
each other.
• There will be an expectation that
the relationship will continue long
term.
• An intimate relationship may
mean that those involved think in
terms of “us” rather than “me”.
• They are committed to each other.
• There is an expectation that the
other partner will treat them fairly.
• They share many beliefs,
experiences and opinions - this is
referred to as mutuality.
Substance Abuse and Intimacy
If people are abusing alcohol and
drugs it is almost impossible for them to
maintain intimate relationships. This is
because these substances will become
their obsession and there will be no
room for anyone else. As the individual
falls further into addiction they may
lose all interest in sex completely.
Addiction drives the individual into a
world of delusion and sel sh action. It
will not be possible for another human
to trust them fully, and this will prove to
be a barrier to intimacy. The addict
is still likely to have people who love
them, but there will be a sense of
wariness mixed in with the affection.
The person who is abusing alcohol or
drugs may feel almost incapable of
feeling true affection for other people
- they are too self obsessed to think
beyond their own needs.
Substance Abuse and Promiscuity
Many of those individuals who abuse
alcohol or drugs will engage in
promiscuous sex. This type of sex lacks
intimacy and it usually involves multiple
partners. The addict may often wake
up in bed with a stranger with no
memories of the night before. Deep
down the individual may realize that
this is a poor substitute for true intimacy
but it becomes a habit. When people
are inebriated they are liable to make
impulsive and poor decisions, and this
often applies to the people they end
up having sex with. Such behaviour
increases the risk of picking up a
sexually transmitted disease. It can
also lead to unplanned pregnancy.
Impact of Addiction on the Sex Drive
Alcohol and drug abuse can have
a devastating impact on a person’s
sexual health. Some drugs such as
cocaine have the reputation for
increasing sexual performance, but
such effects are short lived. Over any
length of times the abuse of these
substances will lead to decreased
sexual functioning. As the individual
falls further into addiction they may
completely lose all interest in sex and
intimacy. Males may nd it dif cult to
become aroused and so engaging
in sexual activity becomes almost
impossible. Women will also suffer from
decreased libido as a result of drug
abuse.
Intimacy and Recovery
Once people give up an addiction
they will be able to begin rebuilding
their life. One of the areas that they
will need to focus on will be intimacy
and sexual relationships. For some
people this will prove to be the hardest
area of their life to x, but things will
improve it they give it time and make
a serious effort to improve things. In
some situations the individual will
bene t from some type of counseling
as they may have underlying issues
that prevent them from developing
satisfying relationships.
How to Overcome Intimacy and
Sexual Issues in Recovery
The individual may still have problems
related to sex and intimacy in recovery.
In order to overcome these problems it
is recommended that:
• people avoid beginning a new
relationship within the rst year of
recovery.
• When people who are married get
sober there will need to be a period
of adjustment. It is unrealistic to
expect this relationship to be as
intimate as it once was and any
lost trust will need to be worked
back.
• The fall into addiction does not
occur overnight and neither
recovery from it. It may take
months or even years before
the individual is fully able to be
intimate with another human
being - this is particularly likely if
they had intimacy issues before
they fell into addiction.
• The partner will have developed
certain coping strategies to deal
with the behaviour of the addict.
They may need to abandon these
coping strategies before intimacy
can be resumed.
• If people have persistent problems
with intimacy they may bene t
from some type of counseling. A
therapist will be able to help the
individual dig deep to discover
any underlying issues.
• Early recovery is often described
as an emotional roller-coaster.
Things tend to settle down once
the individual has established
themselves in sobriety.
www.realtimerecovery.net (2014)
Quick Facts:
“82% of people surveyed think that
there should be more services to help
people with addictions.”
-- The Dignity Project, Canada Speaks 2012, Mental
Health, Addictions and the Roots of Poverty
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Parenting Younger
Siblings of
Addicted Teens
As with any family-related drama, the
person at the heart of the concern gets
the most attention.
When adolescent mental health
or substance abuse issues arise,
the siblings of the abuser may be
overlooked or neglected. Parents
focus on the child with the drug
addiction. Grandparents provide
support for the parents. Extended
family members become educated
about substance abuse. Faith
communities are asked to pray for the
child involved with illegal substances.
It’s expected, or at least hoped, that
the siblings of the substance abuser will
maintain the “good” status and allow
everyone to focus on the child with the
issues.
This single-focused attention may put
the siblings in stressful situations. They
get less one on one time with mom or
dad. They might take on additional
household responsibilities. They may
be required to provide extra caretaking
for younger siblings. And,
siblings themselves may become at risk
for various behavioural, mental health
or substance abuse issues.
As parents begin to create a plan to
address the issues of the adolescent
with substance abuse problems, they
must also create a plan for the other
children in the family. Siblings still need
one on one time with mom and dad.
And, if the usual amount of time needs
to be reduced, parents need to address
22
it directly rather than assuming that the
child “will understand”. Parents should
not neglect attending sports events,
plays, concerts and other recognition
events for siblings.
Opportunities should be provided for
expending physical energy. Whether
the activities help to minimize issues
of possible depression, or provide
an outlet for negative emotions, the
chance to run and play a sport, walk
or swim need to be easily available.
Provide positive feedback for the kids
who are not substance abusers. It’s
easy to emphasize the negative when
under stress. Compliment the children
when they are required to go above
and beyond their usual responsibilities.
Create a schedule that allows siblings
to continue extra curricular, community
or church participation whenever
possible. This involvement
provides stability, as well
as a diversion from the
emotionally charged home
life. Even if all members of
the family are attending
family therapy sessions, it
may be bene cial for siblings
to have additional one on
one therapy. This might be
with the family therapist,
or a completely different
counselor. Parents and
therapists mustn’t forget that when
one child becomes a substance
abuser, the other children in the family
are also at risk. A study published by
the University of Queensland and the
University of Washington, in January
2006 (www.researchaustralia.com.
au), showed that younger siblings’
use of alcohol and tobacco increases
by three to ve times when older
siblings are already involved. They
suggest that prevention programs,
which usually focus on parent-child
interactions, need to shift the focus to
sibling in uences.
When struggling to parent a child with
issues of addiction, don’t let the other
children “ y under the radar”. Attempt
to proved even-handed guidance
to all of the children in the family,
even when only one of them has the
addiction issue.

THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
Make the Thorpe Recovery Centre A Part of
Your Donation Plans For 2015
Who Are We?
Canadians Are Saying
Ways to Donate
Thorpe Recovery Centre is a non
pro t organization dedicated to
providing client-centered and
community based addiction
services. Our clients, both men and
women come from across Canada.
Each looking for that second
chance at a sober life.
“It was great and an awesome
environment to detox. Way better
than white knuckling it on the streets.”
- Thorpe Detox Client, 2014
82% of those surveyed think that there
should be more services to help people
with addictions.
Mental illness and addictions personally
touch the lives of four out of five
Canadians with 80% reporting that they
have either a friend or family member
who has experienced mental illness and/
or addiction.
Most Canadians recognize the linkage
between mental health and addiction
with 71% agreeing that “a lot of people
with addictions have mental health
problems.”
Monthly Giving
A monthly gift provides a continuous source
of funds to support the mission of the Thorpe
Recovery Centre. Monthly donations can
be made simply through pre-authorized
debit or credit card charges.
In Memoriam
A donation to TRC in memory of a
family member, friend or loved one is a
meaningful way to express your sympathy.
In Honour
Donation gifts in recognition can be made
to an individual who has worked hard in
their recovery.
Why Donate
Donating to Thorpe Recovery Centre
isn’t just about keeping the lights on or
adding a new piece of equipment. It
is really about the people who walk
through our doors and providing them
with the best opportunity to change
their lives and the lives of the people
around them.
Contact Us
For more information please contact
us:
• Telephone: 780.875.8890
• Toll Free: 1.877.875.8890
• giving@thorperecoverycentre.org
• www.thorperecoverycentre.org
Canadians estimated that 28% of the
population is living with an addiction to
drugs or alcohol.
Source - The Dignity Project (2014),
SalvationArmy.ca/dignity
How to Donate
There are many ways to make a
donation to the Thorpe Recovery Centre.
• Access PayPal or Canada Helps on
our website.
• Cash or Cheques
• Credit Card
• Appreciation Publicly Listed Stocks
“Not only gave me the tools to keep my
addiction under control, you made me
healthy again. For the fi rst time in a long
time, I really like myself again. That, I could
not have done alone! I’m so grateful.”
- Thorpe Detox Client, 2014
Sobriety Birthday
Celebrating your own sobriety by helping
another begin the most important day
of their life. An annual gift of $250 will go
towards sponsoring treatment for someone
unable to nancially support the cost.
Items And Volunteers
• Milk and food items
• Of ce & Art supplies
• Personal Hygiene items
• Bath Towels
• Volunteers for yard work and
building maintenance.
• Volunteers to lead yoga and
meditation for our clients.
• Donated plants & trees
• Gym equipment
• Computers for the clients area
• Recovery related reading material
• Extension Cords
• DVD Movies (appropriate)
• Cleaning and laundry supplies
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THORPE RECOVERY CENTRE WINTER 2015
When It’s Time For Change
When you or your family are in crisis due
to substance or process addictions such
as gambling or sex addiction, Thorpe
Recovery Centre provides recovery
services for both you and your family.
With compassion and support, we
treat all clients and their families
according to their individual
challenges...helping people
gain insight into themselves
and give them the tools
for long term recovery.
• Medically Supported Detox
“I walked in afraid, unsure and
apprehensive. I left feeling fi lled
with hope, peace and friends. I
know it’s not going to be easy, but I
am prepared.”
- Thorpe Alumni, 2012
“ This program has exceeded my
expectations. I now feel like I’m
normal in how I was feeling and
I have a clear plan on how to
proceed.”
- Thorpe Alumni, 2014
• 42 - 90 day residential programs
• Chemical Dependency
• Alcohol Addiction
• Gambling Addiction
• Sex Addiction
• Concurrent Disorders
• Family 4 Day Program
Thorpe Recovery Centre is a not-for-pro t
organization dedicated to providing clientcentred
and community based addiction
services.
Overcoming Addictions to Improve Lives
780.875.8890 TOLL FREE 1.877.875.8890 www.thorperecoverycentre.org
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