I had a lot of struggles very young with cocaine and marijuana. I grew up in Vancouver, and at school there’d be people doing drugs right in the bathroom. When I was 15, I’d end up at parties on the weekends - and eventually, my drug use became every day. It was totally out of hand. I’d get sober for a few months, or a year and a half here and there, and then I’d start using again.

I didn’t get sober for good until my thirtieth birthday. My son was 3, and I was really starting to look around and see my life was falling apart. I had no money. My mom had threatened to get my son taken away. Family was pretty much turning their backs. It was getting to the point where I was gonna either have nobody, or straighten up. I was just sick and tired of being sick.

That final time I tried to quit, I went to Ridgewood and did the 30-day detox program. When I came out, I was looking for options and found Sophia Recovery Centre.

If you go to a regular therapist, sometimes they don't have a clue what you're talking about. I got a lot out of the one-on-one counseling at Sophia, because the people I met had their own crazy stories of where they had been, and where they'd come from, that I identified with. I started coming to the Wednesday night women's meetings, and between those things, it finally stuck.

Now I’m 44, and still sober - but I’m back at Sophia. Only this time, I’m attending the family support program because my son at age 19, fell into fentanyl addiction. Watching him become homeless, and struggle so much was like going back 20 years and doing my own recovery all over again.

​​When your kid is fully in addiction, and you're an addict, it's triggering. A lot of emotions come up. You blame yourself, you have a hard time differentiating between your recovery and theirs. The programs at Sophia have helped me build boundaries, figure out how to speak to him, and know how to navigate through his struggles without making it my own problem.

So it's been a long journey, and we’ve had some serious struggles - but he just had three months sober yesterday.

Sophia has made me feel strong, and not weak. I have the skills to stay sober myself, and also help my son on his journey.