Some of you may have been present at the Winnipeg City Hall rotunda during the last few years for the Wellbriety Tree of Life Ceremony. Or you may have been here in treatment in Gimli and had an opportunity to create a buffalo ornament and place it on the tree. COVID-19 has forced us to … Wellbriety Tree 2020 at Aurora
If you talk to folks who work in the admissions department at any major treatment centre, you may be told the same story: people don’t necessarily want to come to treatment during the Christmas season. But, then again, they often don’t want to come any time. There they are, often in a life and death … Getting the Christmas Treatment
Getting through the holiday season in recovery can be challenging, especially if you’re grieving. Bells are ringing. Halls are decked with boughs of holly. Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. If you’re a person who loves the Christmas and holiday season, this may be the most wonderful time of the year. Family and friends … Getting Through The Holiday Season in Recovery
We polled staff and alumni for music selections for the holiday season, and we are creating a playlist to play at the centre this December 25th. We invite you to take part. Hop on YouTube or your preferred music streaming platform and get in the spirit! Feel free to send your own playlist suggestions to … Favourite Holiday Songs
My recovery has been all about breaking the stigma of women in addiction. It was the spring of 1978. I had started becoming aware of, and thinking about, how my drinking was messing up my life. I was 28 years old with two children. One day, over an afternoon coffee, I confided my fears to … Breaking The Stigma of Women In Addiction
In these times of more lockdowns in a devastating pandemic, of election chicanery in the U.S., the concept may be somewhat muffled this year, but it will be there. Addiction education and awareness is at the forefront for this year’s National Addictions Awareness Week. Addiction. Whether we think about it or not, it isn’t going … Addiction Education and Awareness: National Addictions Awareness Week
National Addictions Awareness Week is happening this week. It starts with personal awareness. As a man in long-term recovery, I have a fair bit of awareness of addiction and substance use disorders. Sometimes I wish I didn’t need to. For me, I began fighting my addiction at age 14. That was when I first realized … Addiction Awareness: It Starts With Personal Awareness
Remembrance Day in Recovery: November 11. It’s a day unlike any other on the calendar, that’s for sure. I still go to the cenotaph every year. Being in recovery, the feelings are intense. Reflective. Sad. Melancholy. It’s not a rah-rah sort of day. My family has a long tradition of service. My father served on … Remembrance Day in Recovery: A Look Back
Another November 11 is upon us. The sombre sounds of pipes and drums. Cenotaphs. Poppies. For anyone in recovery, Remembrance Day is a day to pay attention, says Aurora’s clinical director, Anthony Cafik. For those still in uniform, and for those who once wore one, it is especially time to be aware of where your … Aurora Alumni Veterans in Remembrance
Sacred Fires bring peace during these times that have been extremely difficult to navigate. We as social beings struggle to maintain relationships with new imposed expectations of physical distancing for our continued health and those around us that we care about. Simple things like handshakes have come down to hiding behind a mask and not … Sacred Fires and Tobacco Ties