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Orchard Recovery Center is a safe haven during a stressful time of year
Martin (top row centre) with colleagues at Orchard Recovery Center during a Christmas that now holds purpose, meaning and moments of joy.
The Christmas that Martin’s mother heard from him for the first time in seven years was probably one of the best gifts she had ever received. Learning that he was in recovery and safe, especially at a time of year that is particularly hard for people dealing with addictions, brought her peace and opened the door for him to re-establish his relationship with her.
The starting point of Martin’s struggle with alcoholism was his family history on his father’s side, he says. “I come from a long line of alcoholics. I totally believe in the disease model of alcoholism. The first time I drank, it was to excess. A week later, I did the same thing. I have a physical craving, so if I drink alcohol I will keep on drinking until I black out.”
A self-described runner, he left an unstable home marked by turmoil as soon as he could. Continuing the running, metaphorically, during a career as an electrical engineer, he drank heavily to escape his many problems. While he followed the advice of the psychiatrist at his workplace to enter a 12-step recovery program, it did not help as expected.
“I didn’t really buy into the program,” he says. “By this time, I had two ex-wives. I’d had a heart attack. I had a DUI and I was about to be fired. I thought quitting drinking would solve the problems. But when I quit, I still had two ex-wives, had had a heart attack, still had a DUI and was about to be fired.”
“Going into treatment for 10 days was another shock,” he says. “I was belligerent and resistant.”
With the holiday season approaching, he feared he would return to drinking and likely die, so he chose to remain in treatment longer.
“That is what really got me into recovery,” says Martin, now the information technology manager at Orchard Recovery Center on Bowen Island, B.C., as well as a recovery coach and intake specialist there.
In recovery since 2003 and working at the Orchard since 2007, he has volunteered to work through Christmas numerous times over the years.
Orchard Recovery Center is a 25-bed facility on Bowen Island that can provide a safe haven during the holidays.
As well as supporting others, “it continued to provide me with a safe haven during a stressful time of year,” he says.
“Christmas Day is very special at the Orchard,” says executive director Lorinda Strang. “The holiday season can be an emotional minefield for families living alongside addiction, often marked by hypervigilance, walking on eggshells and fear. Choosing treatment over the holidays isn’t abandoning those you love, it’s an act of care that allows everyone to breathe, knowing safety has finally replaced uncertainty. We’ve had people say Christmas at the Orchard is the best they’ve ever had.”
For more information on the Orchard Recovery Center, visit orchardrecovery.com.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Orchard Recovery Center.
By Iris Winston – Postmedia Content Works