Meet Wade.

Born in Sudbury, Ontario, he recalls much of his childhood spent in Labrador City, NL and later Oromocto, NB. He considers himself fortunate to have grown up in an upper middle class family, as his father was a miner until the age of 60 and his mother was able to stay home and look after Wade and his siblings. “Myself and my two siblings were adopted and very different from one another ” Wade explained. That being said, as he recalled what his childhood was like, he explained that he was blessed to have been adopted by his parents, knowing that because of them, he was able to take part in the things he loved like fishing, cross country skiing, and playing various instruments.

“While I was in school music was a huge part of my life” Wade explained, “…and once I moved to Oromocto, Cadets also became an important part of my life”. However, it was during this time that things began to change for Wade, it was during this time that he started using alcohol and marijuana. Wade said “… smoking Marijuana and drinking alcohol became the cool thing to do in my friend group. We would party and always have some drinks before every highschool dance, it was just what you did…” It was during this time that Wade began to slowly see his priorities change and didn’t feel like himself unless he was drinking or smoking. This dramatic change in priorities ultimately led Wade to drop out of highschool, as he no longer had an interest in being there.

Upon dropping out of high school, Wade pursued a life of partying in the Greater Halifax area. With his priorities centered around having a good time, it became increasingly difficult to hold down a job. “I would binge drink for days and miss a lot of work because I was sick. I lost job after job. I started to commit crimes so that I could support my drinking and marijuana addiction…” As Wade became more reckless, he started to experiment with harder drugs like cocaine. Wade slowly began to grow tired of the lifestyle he was living, leading him to seek help through various detox centers throughout the country.

Into his 30s, Wade was able to stop using cocaine and was able to keep his jobs for longer periods of time, leading him to pursue a career in the culinary arts at NBCC. Though he was able to become an exceptional chef, he continued to be a functioning alcoholic and marijuana user. He knew deep down that he wanted to break this cycle and he knew that he needed a change.

Wade entered his 40s with a deep desire to get sober and live a life of faith. “I had reached the lowest point in my life and felt absolutely soulless. I called out to God and begged him to save me from the way that I have been living.” He knew that simply hoping for a change wouldn’t be enough, but that seeking help was the only solution. On April 20th, 2022, Wade entered the Men’s Addiction Recovery Program. Not only has he continued to succeed in his recovery journey, but he has also become an active member of our community as an intern. Wade is in charge of picking up donations from around the city as well as coordinating work groups.

**The following story represents the personal experiences and views of the participant. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Harvest House Atlantic or any individuals mentioned. Shared with permission.