Canada Drug Rehab

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for Sunshine Coast Health Centre, discusses why it is so important to find work that is satisfying and gives a sense of achievement and how to do it even in such uncertain times. Bill Wilson is profiled as someone who switched from being a stock promoter to co-founding Alcoholics Anonymous with Dr. Bob Smith. In doing so, Bill W. discovered a life of meaning, a sense of achievement, and helped ease the suffering of many thousands of people.

When Geoff has asked clients what they like about work, many respond that they like the excitement or danger of the job, or the fact that it’s always changing. These clients often also use drugs or drink while on the job. Geoff asserts that these people often mistake intensity for meaning and do not necessarily having a sense of personal fulfillment.

Cathy Patterson-Sterling, Director of Family Services for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, talks about the process of recovery as a process of self-discovery. It can be difficult when newly-recovering family members recommend counselling for the sober spouse or family member. This can be insulting and hurtful. However, as Cathy points out, those new to recovery often mean well and are simply looking at new possibilities that come with being sober.

Cathy Patterson-Sterling, Director of Family Services for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, discusses why individuals in early recovery may want to wait a while before making drastic or life altering decisions about change.

Geoff Thompson, MA, CCC

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for Sunshine Coast Health Centre, talks about the importance of developing courage in dealing with addiction recovery as opposed to dealing with issues passively.

Geoff Thompson, MA, CCC

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, discusses how internalizing a label such as depression or bi-polar disorder can negatively affect an individual.

Geoff Thompson, MA, CCC

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, discusses addiction and co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder.

Geoff Thompson, MA, CCC

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, talks about why the best way to understand an individual is to understand how the individual interacts with others.

Cathy Patterson-Sterling, MA, RCC

Cathy Patterson-Sterling, Director of Family Services for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, talks about a grieving period in early recovery and why it can be dangerous to bargain with your addiction.

By Kye Taylor, B.Sc.(Kin.)
Resident Kinesiologist
Sunshine Coast Health Center

For our clients in the beginning stages of addiction recovery, this is a common question that confronts them as they begin to paint a picture in their minds about what life will look like following addiction treatment.  For many, the prospect of living life without their substance can sound painfully bland by comparison. In fact, for many, the thought may stand in the way of a successful recovery.

In addiction, life get’s pretty one dimensional pretty quickly.  Day to day life becomes focused around using, and most everything else is secondary.  So, despite it being a destructive force, when this central component is removed, a major void is left.  Thus, a well-rounded recovery plan becomes vital to the success of those in recovery.

At Sunshine Coast Health Center, we understand that a recovery plan must be multi-faceted and encourage more than just merely abstinence from the drug of choice.  As part of their daily programming, clients are afforded the unique opportunity to take part in a fitness program that offers them the chance to rekindle their relationship with their bodies as well as take part in a variety of recreational activities that perhaps have been long absent from their lives.  Restoring an excitement about the many zests of life that can fulfill the mind, body, and soul, is an important component in our clients’ post-treatment success.

When working with those in recovery, it is important to provide an appealing alternative in comparison with their previous lives.  If the whole package looks like a less tempting alternative to what they had before, odds are that they will decline it.  It might be, for instance, that being sober, attending meetings, and having an improved relationship with friends and family is not an appealing enough alternative to entice them to break free from the stranglehold that their substance has upon them.  However, perhaps offering them the life of sobriety described above, as well as incorporating fulfilling recreation activities that promote health and vitality, might be an appealing enough alternative for them to give it a shot.

It’s important that this point is not misunderstood.  It’s not that a sober life with healthy and loving relationships is not enough.  It is, however, our stance that one of the great pleasures of life is shared recreational activities.  We try to instill this value within our clients by offering a wide variety of recreational experiences during their treatment.  Being located in Powell River, we are fortunate to have near limitless possibilities of outdoor recreation to choose from regardless of the time of year.  Some of our recreational activities include: kayaking, hiking, swimming, golfing, beachcombing, scuba diving, fishing, and many more.  If we don’t offer it as a facility sponsored activity, during non-program hours, clients who are designated senior peers are able to apply for day passes to accommodate activities of their choosing.  If approval is given from the clinical team, they are free to take part in the activity, responsible for any incurred cost.

Everyone needs something that feeds their soul and rejuvenates them when they become weary.  That being said, that “something” won’t be the same for everyone.  We encourage our clients to test the waters, both literally and figuratively, to see what works for them.  Whether it is with family or friends, a common passion a great way to network and broaden your social circle to include others that share your same interests. 

Our clients at Sunshine Coast have an un-rivaled opportunity to seek and explore what recreational activity enriches their life most.  They get to share these experiences with their “band of brothers” that they are a part of at our center, and narrow in on what it is that they want to include as part of the tapestry that will make up their aftercare plan, and the beginning of the rest of their life.

Geoff Thompson, MA, CCC

Geoff Thompson, Program Director for the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, discusses Martin Buber’s key to good relationships and the “I-thou” idea.