STORIES OF HOPE

For the past 20 years, Sean has called Grand-Bay Westfield home. His drinking began when he was 18 years old and progressed over the years, but it was during COVID while his company was shut down that his problem took off.

Due to the state that he was in, he was asked to leave his home where his estranged wife and his two daughters lived with him. He turned to the streets, where he stayed in a shelter in Saint John until he was stabbed and decided to live outside in a tent in Rockwood Park. Things continued to go downhill for him from there.

Sean had been in and out of provincial rehab facilities for years. One had worked well for him until his father passed away, and he found himself in a relapse that sent him out of control with his drinking for a month. This relapse led him back onto the streets. He shares that one night, he had been drinking and called his wife, who was able to get a hold of the police and bring him to the psychiatric unit of the hospital.

He recalls that he received two taps on his shoulder while there that changed the course of his walk. The first was from a psychologist who had worked with him during his time in the rehab facility, and the second was from a long-time family friend who was now a nurse in the unit. Sean shares that both wanted to help him as they knew what would happen to him if he went back on the streets.

It took Sean two weeks to contact Harvest House Atlantic, sober up at the hospital and on October 30th, 2024, he walked off a bus in Moncton and entered the program. He shared that the staff were so welcoming, the other men in the program are such a great support system and that he is receiving counselling for his core issues. He says that a turning point for him in the program was when he stopped reading and educating himself and started putting it into practice.

Sean is a family man at heart. He loves his two daughters deeply and shared that while he was in program he could only communicate with them by mail, as it would be such a pull on his heart to speak to them over the phone or video. He is a man who knows that without the help of Harvest House Atlantic and his faith in God he would have lost it all and would be facing a losing battle to get the help he needed.

He shares that if someone in active addiction is reading this, “You’re enough. You’re somebody to somebody. Those struggling with substance use are still people like you and me and deserve to be seen”.

We are proud of the courage Sean showed in seeking help and the growth he experienced while in recovery at Harvest House. Like many on the road to healing, his journey has included challenges—and we continue to walk alongside him. What he learned during his time here is foundational and will serve him as he navigates the ups and downs ahead. Recovery isn’t always a straight path, but hope is never lost.

Sean leaves us with this message: “At the end of the day, I like to tell myself well done, not well said. Recovery has no bargain prices.”