From rock bottom to a new purpose
Fentanyl user finds life-changing path through Drug Treatment Court program
Thomas Humchak has turned to alcohol and drugs since he was nine years old to drown out the pain of growing up in an abusive home.
Born in Smoky Lake, a small town north of Edmonton, Humchak would often bingedrink as a child to escape his realities at home.
His father was a convicted bank robber and his mother suffered from several mental illnesses and later would be involved in an abusive relationship. Growing up, Humchak constantly found himself in trouble and was moved around from several foster and group homes as a teenager.
Before turning 18, Humchak moved back in with his mother who had undergone mental health treatment and her abusive partner in Edmonton. Humchak started spending more time in the streets to avoid going home.
“There was a lot of abuse at home so it wasn’t a safe place,” says Humchak. “So I would always try to run away and not be at home, and I was creating mental health issues for myself, just the fear of always being in fight or flight.”
During his time on the streets in East Edmonton, Humchak started stealing food and selling drugs to make money and began experimenting with harder club drugs and ketamine.
Humchak befriended other people addicted to drugs and quickly built a reputation with police and found himself bouncing in and out of the justice system.
“When I turned 18 I didn’t really know where to go at the time,” says Humchak. “It was a little rough growing up just not having direction or goals. Just a mess jumping in and out of the system and group homes, foster homes.”
To numb his pain, Humchak says his addiction grew to include use of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl at a daily cost of more than $250.
“The way I was using I would literally use then nod out and then wake up and use again, it was hard on the body,” he explains.
Humchak recalls blacking out for several days at a time while using fentanyl specifically and describes the illness his body underwent during drug withdrawals.
“Your body becomes accustomed to it because it slows your heart rate down. When you don’t have it your body starts changing and wanting the dopamine,” says Humchak. “It’s really bad, you’re going through crazy emotions, you can’t sleep. You feel it right in your bones.”
It wasn’t until Humchak was arrested for trafficking drugs to an undercover police officer that he would decide to make a life-altering decision to seek sobriety and make a positive impact in his community.
After years of heavy usage and several overdoses and charges in Edmonton, Humchak knew if he didn’t change his life soon he could end up with a long jail sentence or even end up dead. In 2021 he enrolled in Drug Treatment Court and moved to Medicine Hat to break his cycle of criminal behaviour and drug addiction.
The comprehensive program aims to reduce crimes committed to support drug dependency with judicial supervision, drug abuse treatments and frequent drug testing.
Alison Richards, drug treatment core manager with McMan South Region, says you must be charged with drug-related crime and undergo screening to become a candidate for Drug Treatment Court, and it’s often much harder for a participant to complete than a jail sentence.
A participant is typically in the program between 12 and 24 months before graduating, and during these months will attend residential treatment, relapse prevention and get treated at a rehab facility.
Humchak spent 90 days at the Simon House Recovery Centre in Calgary.
Richards explains the program is based on a five-phase model that includes life stabilization, clinic stabilization, pro-social and life skills, adaptive skills and maintenance.
“By the end of phase four the goal is to be enrolled in school, working and having a maintained schedule and then phase five is maintenance,” says Richards.
And in March after completing more than 30 months in the treatment program, Humchak is Medicine Hat’s recent graduate from Drug Treatment Court and now wants to help others who are struggling.
“When you see people struggling you understand. Instead of being part of the problem I just want to be part of the solution now.” says Humchak.
He is enrolled in school and plans to pursue his degree in social work. He is also working and spends his free time volunteering at the local food bank.
“The best thing for addiction is helping others and that’s a huge thing that this program has taught me, by helping others it feels good inside. It’s an actual dopamine hit seeing someone smile,” he said.
“Instead of being that selfish addict because you’re in an addiction, now you can see there are other ways to feel good without using and being part of something good.”