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Testimonials

[some identities may have been altered for privacy reasons]From a wonderful past client……

GerryClient Testimonial 20Client Testimonial 22PatrickClient Testimonial 21Client Testimonial 4Client Testimonial 3Client Testimonial 2Client Testimonial 1Client Testimonial 6Client Testimonial 10Client Testimonial 9Client Testimonial 8Client Testimonial 7Client Testimonial 5

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Good morning Addiction Canada!!!!! I’m not sure who runs this page, but I’m hoping you will be
able to pass on my message to the people and counselors at the Pickerel Lake Recovery Muskoka Location! On Dec 18, I celebrated 18 months clean and sober. I know that for a lot of people in the program, this isn’t a lot, but for me, it is monumental. I never truly believed that I had the ability to live my life sober. I had tried so many times , but my last stay at the Pickerel Lake Recovery Muskoka location of Addiction Canada changed my life. Something happened to me when I was there that is indescribable . I was able to let go, to allow myself to accept who I was before, and to embrace who I was becoming. I stopped fighting, stopped questioning, and started listening. I have never been more happy and more at peace with who I am. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to fight, and remind myself everyday that I am different. That I can no longer live the life that brought me some good times, and good memories. But in reality, it was that life that made me forget what truly living meant. I have since moved away from home, because the people and places there were only going to hold me back from moving forwards. I have a new job, and just enrolled myself in school. I just celebrated my 29th birthday, and for the first time in 14 years, didn’t celebrate with drink In hand.I just want to say thank you. Thank you for always making me feel like I was worth a happy sober life, even when I might have been a pain in the ass. Thank you for helping me grow into the person I am today, and for equipping me with the tools I need to continue to grow..
Unfortunately for you guys, you won’t be seeing me soon! Lol But know that every night when I
pray, and thank god for my life today, I will be thanking everyone at Pickerel Lake Addiction
Canada who helped me find myself again. Because without you and your love, guidance , an
support, I would not be able to be writing this today…. All my love Tara BMikeWhen I first started with treatment at Addiction Canada, I really didn’t think there was an issue.
When I started looking at myself, I quickly saw how my drinking was hurting myself and others.
I’ll be forever grateful that I came here and learned how to live a full productive life without
alcohol.Rachael

I’ve been through many different treatment centres and have never been treated with more
compassion than I was by the experts here at Addiction Canada. This time I was totally broken
when I got here and these are the folks that gave me hope for the very first time.

Now I know the difference between being sober and being in recovery. All the wonderful
counselors and staff here have given me hope for the first time in a decade.

Gail

The network at Addiction Canada has taught me many things and the staff here treated me like a real person and not just a number. All the groups here are small enough you really feel like you belong and your questions and input are more than welcome. The staff at GTA North have become a family to me.

Mrs. Cole

I was part of the family program and it taught me how much there was to gain by facing the
disease head on and how it influences me. I got rejuvenated through the process and found that
my relationship with my brother began to heal.

Hi John how are you ? I’m doing great my one year just passed in January thanks to you and all
the wonderful staff at Addiction Canada. I would like to thank everyone for all they taught me
and helped me become a better person. Also to find true happiness living a clean and sober life!
THANK YOU !!! I would also like to come back and visit you all and thank you in person in the
near future if that’s at all possible.
Have a great day
Nicole N

Hey john how r u just wanted to drop by and let u konw that im grateful to have been apart of
ur program u saved my life im proud to say that im still sober and planning to keep it that way it
was an amazing journey ur program meant a lot to me I tried getting in contact with Dwayne
could reach him pls let him know im doin great and thx him for me he helped me a lot aswell I
went from going out and parting doing drugs to proudly becoming sober and now baking and
doin sports thxs I appreciated ur meetings on Wednesdays I looked up to u a lot and will always
thank Addiction Canada for saving my life
Fabrizio B

Hello John how are you? I am doing great My son now lives with me full time, and I am doing
great in my counseling course. 9 months sober and clean and feel amazing could not have done
this without you and your amazing center.
I thank you so much.
Chris W

This is proof to all that recovery is possible! That smile tells his story..he is free of his demon’s!!
He will always and 4ever be a recovering addict and will constantly have to battle that demon
from taking hold of him again and I could never be prouder. “This is my son!” After reaching out
to the right people, “educated and passionate people at Addiction Canada (Muskoka Location)”
My son’s life has been saved!
A “HUGE” thank-you goes to John everyday in my prayers as he has done so much for my son,
and continues to do so daily. How does one ever pay that back? – Deb D

I just wanted to say thank you!! My brother was at your place 3 years ago in ballebtrae And is
still doing well!! Just wanted to say thanks again. I believe John and Matt were his counsellers
.Travis

I am so very grateful you have a great treatment center as my son had such a great experience
there for 45 days.
Stephen is now over 1 year clean and sober.
Thank you John so very very much, as I really believe in what you are doing and think the
greatest of your staff and facility. The entire 45 days changed Stephen and his life moving
forward. We need more facilities and people like yourself and your staff!
Thank you again and if you need to reach me please contact me anytime.

Christine

Greetings John: I just want you to know how much we appreciate how your programme helped save our daughter’s life. She is her old self again. She has been living with us since her release and in fact, ALL CHARGES were dropped as her boyfriend took ALL charges and she will only get Probation which equals no more jail time for her which results in being able to continue on in her resolve to remain Drug Free. He took all her charges when she told him that I, her Mother, have 4 months to 1 year to live due to inoperable lung cancer. I was diagnosed last week. To have lived long enough to see my daughter DRUG FREE and in fact, embracing her own Sobriety, is more than I could have asked for my last wish on this earth….and You and Your Organization did this for HER!!!!
She goes to four weekly meetings. We pee test her randomly (all clean) and she is indeed her old self again. She will remain here living with us until her boyfriend is out of the Penn. and will help her Father deal with my final days. She is an empathetic and caring person and knows her Mother well….and is willing and in fact wants to be here for my final days. The three of us lived before (years ago) in complete harmony and that is the way it feels now. She is also so much calmer than I’ve seen her in years. I attribute her “about change” to Addiction Canada and my thanks is not nearly enough to pass along to you all the GOOD that comes out of your few success stories. My being sick, in fact, will help her understand her worth and give her confidence in her own strengths. She is a good person. Thank you for giving the real Jenn back to me, esp. now.
If you respond please do so via: dxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.ca as my Outlook Express does not accept incoming emails and I have no reason why.
Much thanks for my daughter’s SUCCESS STORY and her new chance, at still a very young age (28) – to begin her life again. As for the boyfriend…..when we came to bring Jenn home one of your female Counsellors/Workers reminded Tim (not me) that “Be gentle with her Mr. Hxxxxx.
Us women cannot help who we fall in love with!!” In retrospect, I think they were very very wise words.
Take care John. Yours truly Donna and Timothy Hxxxxx

Hello John,

And greetings to your wonderful staff at Muskoka. My daughter has done quite well since returning from your facility. She has gone back to school and completed her G.E.D. and is now seeking to rejoin the workforce. Nothing yet, but she is making the rounds, with resume in hand, everyday. She is attending her weekly support group regularly and we are discussing post secondary schooling regarding some of the local trade colleges.

Most importantly, she has become much more responsible with her daughter. What began as a daily interaction has blossomed into an actual loving mother-child relationship. You gave me back my daughter, and as the situation progresses, I look forward to one day giving her back her own daughter. I cannot properly express my appreciation.

Sincerely,

Gerry F

I’ve been sober now for 1 year, 1 month, and 12 days. I’m not so sure that this would be if it weren’t for Addiction Canada. I had a most beautiful and moving experience at the North Ontario centre. Thank you from my heart.
– Linda

Six Months! On March 13, 2012 I had my last drink on the way to treatment with Addiction Canada. Today I am very happy to be sober and functional again. Thank you all who reached out during a difficult time. It was not always easy to be locked up and “abused” by the staff – ha,ha….just kidding! But, looking back, I had a great time learning to live clean and the “wonderful” staff did a great job. I laughed more in the weeks at treatment than I had in years as a HAPPY DRUNK”.
And I found a new life, new friends and new reasons to be happy without being drunk. Best
wishes to all. – Brian

Melanie
I have learned so much through the Addiction Canada, here you are not just a number but a
person. The people who work here really do care, and also put their all into making sure you
know it! It has been a wonderful learning experience. I have been to another recovery center in
the past and didn’t learn as much, as i have here. The groups are intimate small and your
questions are welcomed. It is a safe place and I have been loved for who I am with open arms. I
had to move on in my recovery and I really hated leaving. The people at the Addiction Canada
have became my family, I loved it there.

William
Addiction Canada completely saved my life, before I made my decision to come here I was
completely lost I was the most selfish, angry, scared, person I could be, I was also one of the
biggest liars you had ever met. My thought process was really messed up I almost lost
everything; my family, who is most important in my life. I would have ended up dead, if not
physically dead, emotionally and spiritually. I had no relationship with God what so ever. I was living life like a bump on a log, all I wanted to do was to use drugs and drink alcohol. I was pretty much a slave, they completely controlled me. Making all the wrong decisions, I was in control of my life, or at least thought I was. Coming to the North Ontario centre really changed the way that I am going to live my life; knowing now that I do have a choice. I choose to stay sober one day at a time; the staff and program taught me the knowledge I need to go out in the world and stay sober. The most important thing they taught me was when I was in control I was making all the wrong decisions; to give my thought and actions to a higher power. The counselors are awesome people, some of the smartest, caring, and loving people I have ever met. If you are ready to get sober, this is the place you need to be. The staff and counselors are all willing to give their all to help you. I have the confidence now that I never had to live a loving sober life.

Brian
I came to Addiction Canada a broken individual. My passion for life and all it had to offer had
become meaningless to me. Drugs and alcohol had become my master and serving it was leading
me to certain destruction. I pretty much had lost all hope when, thankfully, I had the opportunity to come to the North Toronto location and start my life over.
The centre taught me how to live a sober life and how to love again. The emphasis on the 12-
steps, as well as the concept that alcoholism and addiction are a disease, became my truth. Upon this truth my life began to dramatically change for the better. For the first time in years, I became available to myself, my family, and everyone else in my life. Ultimately, the treatment program gave me the freedom to live a healthy life. That freedom is indescribable and I will be eternally grateful for it.

Marcel
The situation of addiction to drugs and alcohol in Canada has escalated to a different level. We made a study a few months ago on a 10-years period. It was based on people referred by our
services to treatment facilities in Canada. At the beginning of 2000, when I started in the
addiction to drugs and alcohol field, 5 % of our calls were for people on medication, and the rest were regular street drugs and/or alcohol abuse. Today we easily notice that over 50% of our calls are for medication abuse. The worst of it is that a lot of the people calling us are not predisposed to become an addict. They are regular people that got into an accident or had a surgery and got prescribed very addictive painkillers and are now addicted to them. They cannot stop these medications by themselves.

Research
After extensive research, we could not find proper detox that would take people off medication
properly and completely. Some hospitals even told us that they put people on medication. They
do not take them off! Furthermore, other locations would switch the person to a substitute drug
being a maintenance program not abstinence. I am aware of people who have been on a
maintenance program for 25 years.

Then we contacted Addiction Canada, and worked out what we consider the best detox for medication in Canada. They have full medical staff on site. All their medical professionals are specialized addiction personal.

When you go to most treatment centres for addiction in Canada and you need medical detox, their procedure is the following: They bring the client to a doctor (which sometimes is not qualified in addiction medicine) and the doctor will prescribe the detox meds. Then the facility follows the detox prescription. Most of the time, the person will not even see the doctor again.

Now there are a lot of fluctuations both physically and emotionally while detoxing and everyone will react differently and will most likely need prescription adjustments on their medications during detox. Some physical discomfort or pain can arise because the person starts to “feel” his body while taking less pain medication. Adjustment of the detox procedure has to occur, but none of this can be done without any medical staff on site. External doctors are often not available on weekends or after regular hours. The need for qualified, certified and professional medical staff onsite during any detox procedures should be mandatory.

We have been referring people to Addiction Canada for a few years now, and we are very satisfied with their service and the professionalism of their staff. They have been able to handle any client that was sent to their facility no matter how difficult their addictions were.

Marcel Gemme
Drug Rehab Services

Hey John, just wanted to say thank you. I have just graduated as you know and have taken the most wonderful experiences from my stay at Addiction Canada’s Muskoka facility and the program I received, it has truly saved my life and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey without crutches in this world. It’s a truly amazing world out there when the blinders are off. Not gonna be easy, but then again nothing worth having is. So again, from the bottom of my heart,
thank you.
Steve

I wanted to send you a personal note to recognize my family’s gratitude towards you and all your staff`s support and the Addictions Canada Program that our son, Dalton Saari came to in June . It started with me as a frantic Mother looking for whatever means possible to save my son from using and being caught up in a very scary lifestyle. He was very close to death at this time and we were scared, exhausted and
lost. I knew in my heart that I had to do whatever I could to save my son from this terrible disease and at this point an intervention was our last resort.
It began with my phone calls into your 1-800 line and speaking with Marla I believe is her name, she was so calm, patient and helpful and gave me hope and introduced me to Connie and the resources to get financial assistance. Connie truly is an Angel in our eyes, and I can`t express how much we appreciate all she did at that time to work with us and to get Dalton to go with her for treatment and continues to do to help see him succeed.
I also want to recognize your counselor’s and staff and more importantly you for giving our son the opportunity to get the help he needs in an environment where he is safe and learning on how to identify himself as a sober individual and use the tools to move forward with a life of sobriety. We can`t thank you enough for giving Dalton an extension and helping with placement into a Sober living house in Ontario. Winnipeg is not a safe place for him to return to at this present time and there are too many triggers here. Ontario appears to be his best option towards a strong recovery. We are relieved he wants to remain in Ontario but do miss him but to us his health is much more important.
My husband and I used all the funds we could access and borrowed to our maximum to send him to your facility and we have no regrets, as we could not put a dollar value on our son`s life. We appreciate the help your resources and the Ontario system have assisted with getting Dalton placed somewhere safe and where he can continue to work on getting healthy with good support. Our son is a very smart person who got lost along the way but has potential for a very bright future and he is well worth the investment.
When we talk to him now we are so proud of how far he has come in a short time and we are so
thankful he wants to recover and continue to work on getting better and we know he can do it.
We can`t image what our life would have looked like had we not gotten him the help when we did. So again thank you, without your program I`m not sure where our family would be right now!!
We wanted to recognize all your staff and thank you ALL from the bottom of our hearts for giving our son and our family access to your resources and believing and supporting our son with his continued recovery. Words cannot express how much this means!!
If you want us to write a testimonial for you to share with others or use us as a reference for other families to call it`s the least we can do!!
You truly are a great man and Connie in our eyes an Angel!! Without facilities and people like you and your staff there would be a lot more lost souls and broken families in the world’. We do believe your program saved our son`s life.
If there is anything we can do to give back and help you or others please let us know.
Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do.
Sheryl and Darryl S

Hi Dan,

Just wanted to touch base with you and let you know how Peter is doing. He came home and was against going to STEPS and said he wanted to get on with his life…so I helped him get into a room and he is doing well. He has been attending meetings twice a week and has got himself a sponsor which is great. He seems dedicated to staying clean and wants to get his life on track. He said that he tried to call you last week but not sure if you have spoken with him yet.

I did not get a chance to meet you but I wanted to thank you so much for everything you have done for Peter. I can’t thank you enough. Peter talks very highly of you and you really made an impact on him. I know it will be a long road ahead but I will stay positive and I will encourage him to keep in touch with you.

John, what can I say….without you this would not have happened. You reassured me that things would work out and they did! Your team was amazing! They truly care about their people and my son is a testament to that.

Thank you so much for everything and I will keep in touch.

Sandra T






Hello John and LindaI would like to thank you very much for the generous donation you gave for the Special Olympics 2014.This year Karen and I were invited to attend the 2014 special Olympics in Vancouver. This experience was life changing for us both. Karen was able to present medals to the winners, this was truly an amazing experience for her. We were able to meet several athletes from the special Olympics and also the World Olympics. What a special group of people who are involved with the Special Olympics. We had a fantastic week in Vancouver, and came home inspired. We are considering starting a bocce sport for the Huntsville area, we will send pictures when we accomplish this.Thank you so much!Bet Jones

Staples Huntsville

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