Alcohol And Addiction Recovery Center – One Year Annivesary of The Sophia Recovery Center in Canada

I love reading alcohol and addiction recovery stories like this one, it helps to know that there are others out there making enormous changes in their lives and beating alcoholism and other addictions.

The Sophia Recovery Center is in Canada;

Source; Telegraph Journal Canada East

In February 2008, the Sophia Recovery Centre opened its doors at 83 Hazen Street in Saint John. This is the story of its first year.

The Sophia Recovery Centre is a non-residential facility for female youth and women recovering from addiction. Adult women in N.B. do not have access to a long-term treatment program for addictions, a situation which prompted the establishment of the Sophia Recovery Centre. It is the only one of its kind in the province. Women tend to feel safe in women’s only programs; this is particularly true of women who are vulnerable or who have suffered abuse.

During the first 12 months of operation, 80 women walked into the Sophia Recovery Centre, making 668 visits over the year. These numbers do not include contact and counselling through email and telephone. The women’s ages range from teens to seniors, and they represent all walks of life.

“When I pushed the doorbell for the first time, I was afraid and desperate. I was worried I wouldn’t be wanted, but I was instantly welcomed and felt comfortable and safe.” Molly (names have been changed) is a mid-30s employed, married woman in recovery from alcohol addiction, and was living in an abusive alcohol-filled environment.

“They gave me a soft place to land. Here, I could sit alone and enjoy a peaceful atmosphere, or sit with others and have an uplifting conversation. I learned that my thoughts, feelings, fears, regrets and shames were very common among addicted women. These were things I couldn’t say in a mixed group at AA. Here, I received compassion and advice. I learned to respect myself and to trust other women. Not only have I received support, but I have been able to give support to others. The serenity I experienced here I knew I wanted in all parts of my life, and I have made changes to get that.”

Molly has had over two years in recovery and credits Sophia Recovery Centre as being a major tool in her growth, and in her decisions to move on to a better life.

Pat is her mid-40s, a mother and grandmother. She began abusing alcohol in her early teens, and later became addicted to medication prescribed for injuries from an accident. “I was at the end of my rope. I started emailing the centre, and they convinced me to go to detox. This wasn’t my first time in detox, but none of it worked before. When I got out I didn’t know how to apply the program to my life, or how to deal with certain situations. Being clean and sober doesn’t give you the life skills you never had. Because of Sophia Recovery Centre, I now have the tools to make the right decisions. The women I meet here have had an addiction and they understand what is needed – oh, the wisdom in these walls! I would not be alive today if it were not for this place. I never knew there was a world like this. I am happy for the first time in my life.”

Read the full story here

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Tags: Addiction, Alcohol Abuse Recovery, Alcohol Recovery, Clean and Sober, Enthusiastic Sobriety, Get Sober, Give Up Alcohol, Inspiration For Sobriety, Recovery, Sophia Recovery Centre, Stay Sober