Employer Assistance
In a world of confusion, doubt and fear… Everyone deserves a chance.
– Jan Gryckiewicz • CEO, Professional Excavators Ltd.
Workplace Addiction Recovery Solutions
Fresh Start understands the need to facilitate treatment quickly. Quality treatment helps build better employees.
With our success rate four times higher than the industry average, we have been fortunate enough to build many positive relationships across the country. Success means helping men and women achieve and maintain abstinence while living healthy, happy and productive lives.
The ultimate goal for all of us is to return these individuals as productive members of families, businesses, and contributing members of society.
Fresh Start Recovery is a nationally recognized organization seen as a leader in the addiction sector. Established in 1992 and now with locations in both Calgary and Lethbridge, we continue to provide solutions that recover lives by housing, treating, and supporting individuals affected by addiction.
Fresh Start Recovery’s treatment program recognizes addiction as a chronic brain disorder. Treatment can help facilitate a life of recovery, empowering individuals to live healthy and productive lives free from the effects of addiction.
We employ an interdisciplinary approach to treating addiction specifically tailored to an individual’s needs. Fresh Start Recovery aligns with the philosophy that recovery is a process of restoring an individual’s sense of belonging through the re-connection to self, others, and community. We utilize a comprehensive goal-setting strategy, building resiliency through developing and exploring interpersonal relationships, spirituality, education, employment, housing, culture, and a further introspective look at oneself.
This approach is enhanced through recreational and therapeutic activities conducted in an atmosphere conducive to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth. Our peer support model runs in unison with our treatment model of integrated chronic care, a base derived from the 12-step abstinence model of recovery and underpinned by a biopsychosocial-spiritual model of therapy.
Our staffing model is exceptionally diverse and eclectic in nature. We have approximately 300 years of combined lived experience amongst our employees, giving us the ability to bring forth a practical, empirically based approach to treatment, reinforced with varying degrees of academic recognition. Our insight, compassion, and understanding of addiction and recovery allow us to offer our clients a safe refuge from addiction and engage them in becoming part of our recovery community.
When an employee is in the disease of his addiction you can expect
- 5x more WCB/WSIB claims
- 3x more absenteeism
- 3 x more late arrivals at work
When an employee is in recovery you can expect
- Mental focus, higher productivity and better work habits
- Overall health improvement
- Sense of well being
In 2012 Fresh Start opened its new purpose built 40,000 square foot, 50 bed treatment centre in Calgary. The building was designed with features to support all aspects of recovery: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual including a meditation room to allow for a wide variety of spiritual practices including smudging. Fresh Start operates a total of 96 beds; 50 Primary treatment beds and 46 beds in Community Continued-Recovery Housing with supports, as part of a progressive approach to integrating people in recovery back into community living. In November of 2020, Fresh Start acquired a location in Lethbridge that treat both men and women and in 2023 we opened a 50 bed Recovery Community in Lethbridge to serve Albertans with up to one year of treatment support.
Program
Core 12-Step Program
14-16 week, abstinence-based live-in program includes daily individual and group counselling sessions throughout the course of the program. This is reinforced with enhanced recreational and therapeutic activities conducted in an atmosphere conducive to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual growth. The peer support component of our program runs parallel to our core treatment model of integrated chronic care. We employ the 12-step abstinence model of recovery as our base for treatment, and this is supported within a bio-psycho-social model of therapy.
While in group the participant will explore various topics, which include but are not limited to:
- Working and understanding the 12 steps and 12 traditions
- Addiction as a chronic brain disease and the underlying signs and symptoms
- Understanding crisis periods and what to do
- Relapse prevention
- Stress management
- Letting go and the grieving process
- Healthy boundaries
- Physical recovery
- Family Healing Program
During the recovery process, each individual creates a comprehensive and personalized recovery strategy alongside his counsellor. This strategy, comprised of 12 key areas, is reviewed regularly with their counsellor. The key areas are as follows:
- A recovery plan
- Mental and emotional well-being
- Spiritual well being
- Intimate relationships
- Family relationships
- Social relationships
- Physical health and well-being
- Employment/training/education
- Legal status
- Financial management
- Housing status
- Hobbies/entertainment/creative activities
Beyond the core of our regular program, each individual is required to attend a minimum of four 12-step meetings a week, is expected to work with a sponsor and join a home group while residing at Fresh Start. Fresh Start has created and implemented a very introspective and successful approach to every individual’s recovery process. A personalized case management plan is created following the initial assessment in order to create clear, measurable action steps underpinned by goal-setting strategies. Every individual seeking recovery wants far more than to simply be clean, they want a life worth living and they want to clean up the wreckage of their past. Strong goal-setting strategies throughout the individual’s recovery process shine a light forward, infuse hope and give them a future they can look forward to.
After-care
We employ an interdisciplinary approach to treating addictions with the core of our treatment program based on the 12-step approach. In all of our work, we remain constant to our core values: equality, empathy, trust, accountability, support, change, respect and individuality. We provide Bi-weekly check-ins with an outreach counsellor and have a strong alumni network.
Post-Treatment
Fresh Start Recovery has multiple supported Post-Treatment housing solutions in Calgary and Lethbridge to help support our alumni with the aftercare and continuum of care needed to return back to work, family and community.
PROGRAM COSTS
Fresh Start Recovery provides affordable treatment for Canadians while providing exemplary service.
In 2019 Fresh Start’s group completion rate average was 85 % with 56% of men remained clean and sober one year later.
Please contact Pat@freshstartrecovery.ca for an employer information package including rates.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The Government of Alberta supports Recovery Oriented Systems of Care and Recovery-Oriented Communities of Care which include addiction treatment and post-treatment housing. Their goal is to create lasting Recovery in Alberta for individuals, families, and entire communities promoting the fact that Recovery is Real, Attainable, and Sustainable. All Albertans can experience the positive and healing effects of Recovery Capital. For more information please visit their website https://www.alberta.ca/addiction-mental-health.aspx
For more information about Fresh Start Recovery or any of our programs.
Your gift changes lives.
FROM OUR BLOG
Fresh Start Recovery is Among Canada’s Top 100 Impact Charities!
We are excited to announce that Fresh Start Recovery has once again been recognized as one of the Top 100 Rated Charities in Canada for 2024 by Charity Intelligence Canada. This prestigious acknowledgment highlights our commitment to making a measurable difference in the lives of individuals and families recovering from addiction.
Thank You for Your Continued Support!
Your generous contributions have been instrumental in helping us provide life-changing programs and services. With your help we are providing solutions that recover lives.
Make the Most of Your Donations
We encourage you to consider the difference your donations can make. According to a 2020 Angus Reid survey, 60% of Canadians are now doing more research before donating to charities. Charity Intelligence’s Top 100 list serves as a valuable resource for informed giving, showcasing charities that have been thoroughly analyzed and vetted.
Why Informed Giving Matters:
Maximize Your Impact: Charity Intelligence’s rigorous analysis estimates that top-impact charities deliver on average, $6 in value for every $1 donated, compared to the overall average of $1.50.
Transparency and Accountability: By looking beyond name recognition and marketing, you can ensure your donations are used effectively to create real change.
Support Undiscovered Gems: Many top-rated charities like Fresh Start Recovery are lesser-known organizations that deliver exceptional results.
Be Informed. Give Intelligently. Have Impact.
Your support enables us to continue our vital work. By choosing to donate to top-rated charities like Fresh Start Recovery, you ensure that your contributions are having the greatest possible impact.
How to Donate:
Online: Visit our website at https://www.freshstartrecovery.ca/donate/ to make a secure online donation.
Learn More: Explore Charity Intelligence’s reports and resources at www.charityintelligence.ca.
Thank you for being a part of our purpose to transform lives. Your generosity and trust empower us to continue our work with transparency, accountability, and impactful results.
A Comment from the Executive Director of Fresh Start Recovery:
At Fresh Start Recovery, our mission is to recover lives by Housing, Treating and Supporting people affected by addiction. We continue to help individuals and families to overcome addiction and build fulfilling lives.
Being recognized by Charity Intelligence as one of Canada’s Top 100 Rated Charities confirms the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and supporters, who work tirelessly to make a difference every day.
We are committed to transparency, accountability, and delivering measurable results. Our programs are designed based on evidence-based practices that address the root causes of addiction, providing comprehensive support that extends beyond treatment to include aftercare and community reintegration.
We greatly appreciate the thorough analysis conducted by Charity Intelligence. Their work not only helps donors make informed decisions but also encourages charities like ours to strive for excellence. We believe that informed giving leads to greater impact, and we are proud to demonstrate the effectiveness of our programs through tangible outcomes.
To our donors, partners, and the communities we serve, thank you for your continued support. Together, we are providing solutions to recover lives and helping to build healthier, stronger communities.
Sincerely,
Bruce Holstead
Executive Director
Fresh Start Recovery
Friends, Family, Alumni, and Community, Friday at midnight is your last chance to purchase motorcycle raffle and 50/50 tickets for our draw on Saturday!
With just a few days left until our annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery on August 24th, we’re excited but urgently need your help to achieve our goal of selling out our raffle fundraiser! We’re thrilled to be halfway to our goal, but with only two days left to purchase...