“There was a time when I hit rock bottom. There was so much uncertainty in my life and it turned upside down – I lost my marriage, business, my house, and everything was falling apart. I was couch-surfing, and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and I just wanted to run away,” Phil said as he started sharing his addiction story.

He tried to quit drinking on his own but was unsuccessful. When that happened, he just kept on running away until he changed his mindset. Going to Quintin Warner House was his turning point because he realized there was nowhere else to go. “It took some time to adjust. I was just so uncomfortable,” he added.

Quintin Warner House is Mission Services of London’s treatment program for people who struggle with addiction. Each participant is assigned to a Primary Worker based on their individual needs. The 16-week treatment program takes on a holistic approach to address wellness and relapse prevention to have another chance in starting anew with life.

When Phil entered Quintin Warner House, it was Rita, his Addiction Counsellor then, who first approached him. “My anxiety was so bad when I came in. I cannot even join the groups and was always by the door. Rita saw me and talked me through it,” he said. Rita, who now transitioned to the program supervisor at Quintin Warner House, still remembers that moment. “Addiction counselling to me is all about building relationships and rapport. Clients put a lot of faith and trust in what we do. When I saw Phil and he had so much anxiety, I knew that I had to take it one step at a time, and meet him where he was,” Rita said.

With Rita’s help, Phil eventually started opening up and started leading the discussions in the group sessions. “I think meeting Rita was meant to be. I felt like I can trust and share things with her. She knew me well enough and would know what to do if I were held accountable for something,” he said. As for Rita, Phil has definitely made an impact on her life because of how he showed his gratitude. “He’s a good reminder of resilience and meeting people where they’re at. All of us need that reminder in our lives – life becomes more manageable when you have the support you need,” Rita said. Since graduating six and a half years ago, Phil always makes sure to update Rita with milestones in his life such as getting an apartment, job, among others.

Apart from being sober, Phil also quit smoking about a year and a half ago. His journey to recovery was not a straight path but it was worth it. “I think anything involving change is difficult. Changing my life was a decision and it had a positive outcome. You’re going to give up your addiction when you’re ready to give it up. It should be your decision to get the help you need. Looking back, I thought the treatment program was long. Going through it by the day, you appreciate the length of it. If you think about how long we spent in our addiction and in treatment, it’s a brief amount of time you owe to yourself to get better,” Phil shared.

Working at Mission Services of London for over 20 years, it brings joy in Rita’s heart when she sees her clients change their life and take on challenges as they come. “We recognize that addiction is difficult. There is no linear path to recovery, but we try our best to walk with our clients throughout the process. We know change is scary but if clients know we are here to support them, it makes a lot of difference,” she said.

As the new program supervisor at Quintin Warner House, Rita helps the team with its expansion and hopes to achieve more with them. “Our team is like a family. We have the most compassionate and passionate people who are willing to adapt, step in and help out as much as they can, and it resonates to how we take care of our clients too. We always want to learn from best practices, and find ways on how to serve our clients better,” she said.

For more information about Quintin Warner House, visit missionservices.ca.

Written by Nisa Rigets, Communications & PR Coordinator