Men’s Bed-Based Program

I was addicted to opiates and methadone for many years. My last rock bottom, I was tired of living. I opened my wrist and watched life flow out of me. I ended up at the hospital where I found Caritas. I came into the two-year program June 7, 2018.

Caritas was a place where I could take my time to heal and grow. It offered work therapy where I could learn to work around positive people and learn to develop patience. Group therapy where I would learn to share, open up, learn from others, give feedback and change my behaviours. 1 on 1 counselling where I would be guided to learn healthier ways of living, recognize my attachments and work through my problems.

The structure of the program allowed me to see who I really WANTED to be in this world. How to keep myself grounded in the present, awareness to move forward, how to learn off of others and communicate in a healthy way.

The Caritas staff are kind, caring, compassionate, conscientious decision-making, reasonable, problem-solving individuals. They’ve allowed me to become me. Thank you for healthier approaches”.​

I had a good childhood. The only thing, my dad yelled a lot, day and night, but my mom stayed strong and I am very proud of her, so I moved out when I was 17 with my fiancé. We moved in with my brother and that was a mistake because they fell in love. I caught them in action, so at that point, I lost my mind and started drinking. I drank a lot, then started using marijuana and drinking, and my life spiraled out of control.

My drinking and marijuana use elevated to cocaine, and I would be at work all screwed up, and then my using drugs elevated to crystal meth and then my life was totally out of control. For 10 years I was using drugs and alcohol.

My family was willing to help me so they looked around for help and found Caritas, and I was willing to go get help, and let me tell you, help is what I got. I went into Caritas a broken man and they picked me up, I was on ODSP and they said that was enough to cover the cost.

I was blessed and fortunate enough to have these great people in my life they saved my life, so I end with this, if you need help go to Caritas.”

My time at Caritas has taught me much and helped me to stabilize myself. I find that I have been an unstable person.

Caritas has helped me find the center of the storm that is my mind. I have built a foundation in a society where I don’t feel I fit, which Caritas made me want to do instead of escape my reality. I see the beauty I saw as a child again, it’s my life and I choose to live”.

The transition living house is beneficial for someone that has completed the program at Caritas. After being in the program for so long, which was much needed, due to my past struggles with addiction, there was definitely some anxiety about leaving such a structured place and back into society.

If I didn’t have the option to go to the transition house, I feel my anxiety would have doubled. Not only that but I also feel that I would have struggled trying to figure out everything on my own. An example would be getting a job. I didn’t have a resume that was up to date or any other paperwork that would be needed to apply for work.

Because I had the support of the other guys in the house, who were also in the same boat, it made it less stressful. Also having staff at the Centre near the house was much needed. I was able to use the computer to do my resume, look for jobs online and get advice and assistance on a daily basis.”