Teens set to graduate from high school, drug rehab

A former teenage cocaine user has kicked his dependency and is set to graduate from high school.

It’s all thanks, he says, to the Portage treatment centre in Beaconsfield which is facing an uncertain future.

Last week, a ceremony was held to honour five youths who have been following the substanceabuse treatment program at Portage for the past few months while keeping on top of their academic studies so they could also graduate from high school. Several other teens enrolled in the program, though not ready just yet to complete high school, were also recognized for scholastic achievements.

Liam, who requested his family name not be published, said he started using drugs about three years ago when he was in Grade 9. If not for the Portage program, which he entered about four months ago, the 18-year-old said there is no way he would be graduating today and thinking of applying to CEGEP.

“I was addicted to cocaine and pain killers and alcohol. I started around 15 and it just really quickly went downhill,” he confided. “I failed grades because of my drug use. I got kicked out of school because of my drug use. I was on my way to failing another grade and probably being kicked out of another school this year before I came to Portage.”

Portage works because participants have to buy into the pro- gram. They learn to accept themselves and it ends up boosting their confidence, Liam said.

“When I first got here, I said I’ll just stay here and get sober and everything will be fine,” he said. “I didn’t realize the work that would be put into it. But once you put in the work, you get so much more out of it. You learn about yourself. You learn about your weaknesses, your strengths. You learn how to deal with issues in your life without escaping using drugs.”

Liam, who has about two more months left of rehab, said he hopes to become a writer and plans to enrol in a CEGEP where he can also play rugby.

“I already feel so much more confident in just four months than before I came here,” he said. “(Before) I thought I was going to drop out of school, work some dead-end job or sell drugs. I never saw myself graduating from high school. I never saw myself doing much in life. Now, people tell me I can do so much and I’m surprised in myself and I’m proud of myself. It’s the first time I can say that in a really long time.”

Liam noted that his addictions had kept him from reaching his potential as a rugby player “since he missed practices and games because he would rather get high.”

Beating his drug dependency has given him a new lease on life and has vastly improved his relationship with his parents, he added.

Another grad, who gave the valedictorian speech, said her life was going “down the drain.” She hardly ever went to class until she entered Portage. Today, she is grateful to be graduating and able to set goals for the future.

The Portage facility in Beaconsfield caters to teens ages 14 up to 18. It is the only adolescent drug rehab centre that serves Quebec’s English-speaking community.

Most teens are housed for about four to six months, up to 30 at a time, while in rehab at Portage and are able to follow an academic program during the school year.

Portage, which partners with the Lester B. Pearson School Board to provide on-site high school courses, has been accepting anglophones into its Beaconsfield campus since 2001, though its future in the West Island is up in the air as it continues to search for a new location.