Christine’s Story
I am a recovered addict and when I went to treatment in 2004, I had a history of childhood sexual abuse that I had not dealt with. Ultimately, I began to use drugs to avoid the pain of this past abuse.
I had been to a government operated 28 day treatment program in 2002, however the opportunity was not provided there for me to deal with my trauma issues and ultimately I was unable to maintain my sobriety for more than a few months.
It was very early in my recovery when I heard a speaker at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous say “Don’t waste your pain”. This statement really resonated with me and I believe it contributed greatly to my success in recovery, because at that moment I was no longer a victim, but I saw how my experience could help other women like myself to recover. It became my dream to one day open a center to treat women with addiction and trauma issues.
Shortly after I left the treatment center, I started attending classes at Vancouver College of Counsellor Training. I knew if I wanted to help women I needed to have the education to do so. Since then I have graduated with a diploma in Professional Counselling and went on to study at University of Fraser Valley, working toward a degree and then Westbrook University in West Virginia BA in Clinical Counselling.
Presently I am a RPC (Registered Professional Counsellor) and a CACII (Certified Addiction Counsellor Level II).
In my addiction, I had no hope and thought that there was no way out of my addiction but to die. I felt desperate, desolate, and alone and had no desire to live. Today I have a wonderful life and you can have it too. I will show you how to get it, teach you what you need to have it and walk with you until you are living it. That is my commitment to you.