Overcoming the Odds

He’d abused alcohol for years and drank every day because that’s what he saw his father do. One cold night, Aaron passed out. He had no idea death was approaching fast.

National Addictions Awareness Week, November 21 to December 1, is designed to increase understanding of the devastating stigma associated with substance use and addiction and its impact on the well-being of people.

“The Salvation Army was a picture of love and safety for me.”

“I was discovered passed-out drunk in a snow bank,” says Aaron. “The next morning, I woke in the hospital to a lack of physical coordination, an inability to walk, tremors and hallucinations. I had alcohol poisoning.”

When Aaron was well enough to be discharged, he knew he needed help to get sober.

“The Salvation Army was a picture of love and safety for me,” says Aaron.

Aaron’s brush with alcohol poisoning and death led him to reconnect with The Salvation Army’s drug treatment program in Calgary for help. He had been through the program before. But this time, he knew that without change, he could die.

The live-in recovery program at the Centre of Hope offers adult men a holistic approach to treatment that includes biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects. The program, which includes group work and individual counselling, is tailored to meet the individual needs of the client.

“When I came to The Salvation Army, I was hopeless—on death’s door. When I left, I had goals.”

“I’ve been clean for two years,” says Aaron. “When I came to The Salvation Army, I was hopeless—on death’s door. When I left, I had goals.”

Today, Aaron has made amends with his family, volunteers with The Salvation Army, has his own apartment and is studying to become a registered nurse.

“I’ve always had the gift of caring for others,” says Aaron. “But, for decades, alcohol overshadowed that.

“The Salvation Army turned my life around,” he continues. “Without them, I would be on the streets or dead. That might sound far-fetched, but that was reality for me.”