Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada logo (Submitted)
Krista Scott first learned about Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada from her mother when she was looking for a program to get help with her addiction.
“The closest option I had was the Women’s Center in Brandon, Manitoba at the time,” recalls Scott, adding at the time, there were not many options for treatment in her hometown of Dryden.
Scott joined Adult & Teen Challenge in 2016 after seven years battling drug addiction and is a graduate of its year-long residency program. The stay is followed by an 18-month phase, which can be completed in or outside of the program residence over a total of 30 months. Scott says the residency helped her heal and ultimately move on from drugs.
Krista Scott, her husband Logan and their daughter Lily (Submitted)
“They worked with me on those deeper-rooted issues and how to overcome the hurt and the pain from experiencing traumatic things, and they walk through that with you,” says Scott. “I felt actually cared about and heard — and could actually feel safe in the environment that I was in.”
Dryden’s Adult & Teen Challenge community office will open its new location on 34 King Street early in the new year.
Adult & Teen Challenge not only works together with those in need of help for their addiction, but it also supports the families and loved ones of those struggling.
“It’s hard when you get sober if you’re struggling with family who still don’t really, truly understand. When your family is being talked to and mentored through the process as well – it helps to get everybody on the same page,” explains Scott.
Adult & Teen Challenge currently provides three community lifeline support groups, consisting of a men’s support group, women’s support group and Concerned Persons, a weekly group for people who have loved ones with a life-controlling addiction. People taking part in support groups can choose between in-person one-on-one support meetings or meetings through Zoom.
“It’ll be nice to have people know that there’s a safe place for them to go to share how they’re doing — or even give love ones an opportunity because it affects more than just the person struggling in addiction,” says Scott.
Adult & Teen Challenge Dryden’s community office renovations (Credit: Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada’s Facebook)
“No one wakes up one day and just decides, ‘Hey, I’m going to be a crystal meth addict when I grow up,’ that’s just not how that works…”
–Krista Scott
She returned to Ontario when Adult & Teen Challenge asked her if she wanted to be part of starting up a women’s program in Thunder Bay in 2019. “My heart is always in Northwestern Ontario, it’s my home, so I was really excited to be able to know that there was a women’s centre starting there,” she added.
Scott also met her husband Logan through Adult & Teen Challenge, who is himself a graduate of its Thunder Bay men’s centre.
Scott is now five years clean, a mother and preparing to return to work with Adult & Teen Challenge as a student life coach at the Thunder Bay women’s centre in December. Her experience in the residency program not only changed her life, but also allowed her to discover there are many unseen factors that contribute to a person’s addiction.
“No one wakes up one day and just decides, ‘Hey, I’m going to be a crystal meth addict when I grow up,’ that’s just not how that works, says Scott. “At Adult & Teen Challenge, we work through those issues, we get through the reasons why you ended up where you were – that’s why I really loved this program.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, or for more information — contact an Adult & Teen Challenge Ambassador in Dryden at (807) 223-6957.
