$148,000 Raised for Addicts

By Linda Zlatkin, The Suburban

On Wednesday, August 31, evidence of hope for people battling various substance and behavioural addictions was clearly seen at the annual fundraising/gala event held at the Chabad Lifeline Centre.

The more than 130 people who attended consisted of a mix of people: some who have received help, some who are in the process, as well as friends, family members and caring members of the community.

Formerly known as Project Pride, the centre moved this past December and is now located at 4615 Côte Ste. Catherine Road into a 90-year-old two-storey house close to the Jewish General Hospital.

Chabad Lifeline does not receive any government funding and is totally dependent on the generosity of the community. Not only was a total of $148,000 raised that evening, but the testimonials given by two former addicts, Vanessa and Michael, gave credence to the truth that Chabad Lifeline not only changes lives, it saves them.

Vanessa, 34, remembered how she felt when she had her first drink at the age of 12. “I liked the warm feeling the alcohol gave me when it went down my throat,” she said.

“It made me feel so free. I didn’t care what anyone thought of me, I didn’t care what was happening around me. I just knew I wanted that feeling again.”

In high school Vanessa really didn’t like herself at all. She began to skip school, drank and got high on marijuana, which escalated into selling it with her younger brother. But when he began to smoke more than they sold, they owed more money than they actually made. “After that I felt hopeless,” she said. “I couldn’t seem to get it together.”

Vanessa finished high school and then CEGEP at 19, but soon found herself hanging out in bars and clubs every night. And her then-roommates liked to party just as much as she did. By this time she was on welfare. However, she was eventually forced to apply for work and managed to land employment as a pharmacy cashier.

This led to her introduction to heavy painkillers like OxyContin. “When I took those pills, I didn’t feel anything. It did even more for me than alcohol. It felt like heaven on earth. The only problem was, I was tired.”

Which led to cocaine. “When I began to take cocaine, it allowed me to do so much more. But then things went out of control. I needed more and more drugs and I couldn’t seem to numb out anymore,” said Vanessa.

One day, the phone rang. It was her uncle, also an addict, who was dying of a disease that he contracted while using intravenous drugs. “I like to think of him as my angel,” she expressed. “He told me that he understood what I was going through and that there was a place that could help. At the time it was called Project Pride. I was that desperate, I decided it had to be better than what I was doing.”

When she first walked in, Vanessa remembered being comforted. “For the first time in my life I felt like someone really cared and that maybe I could really be okay. And that’s how it started. They got me into detox and then I was sent to rehab in Toronto. When I got back out, I managed to stay clean. A team of people worked with me. They really motivated me to stay on track.”

Vanessa went back to school, got a BA from Concordia University and today works with kids in youth protection. “I can really understand and empathize with these kids I work with.”

Vanessa doesn’t know where she’d be without Chabad. She said they gave her hope when she didn’t have any, believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself and always stood behind her, showing her that she could pull herself out of her addiction.

“What we need to understand is that addiction is a disease,” said Chabad Lifeline director Rabbi Benyamin Bresinger. “It is not something to be ashamed of. Addiction can be treated.”

Bresinger, who works alongside executive director Rabbi Ronnie Fine, said every single person that comes in is treated with dignity and respect. “We show everyone how precious they are. The more you help people feel better about themselves, the more self-esteem they develop.”

All this is done in a nonjudgmental way, using the conventional 12-step approach. Services are mostly free of charge. At meetings, people may reveal their innermost thoughts, but do not give their last name.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” adds community volunteer and retired businessman, Eddie Wiltzer, who served as MC for the event. “This place has such a feeling of love and warmth.”

Anyone contemplating turning to Chabad for help should know that besides dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, there is also help for other addictions like gambling, overeating, overspending and more. People from all walks of life and religions are welcome. What’s more, they work with the whole family, not just the individual.

For more information, visit ChabadLifeLine.com