Tuesday » February 7 » 2006

Drug rehab: one day at a time
With sons Nicolas, 17, and Julian, 15, struggling with crack addiction that was tearing their family apart, Rodolfo Borello and Jennifer de Freitas sought help at the Portage treatment centre in the Laurentians.

SUE MONTGOMERY
THE GAZETTE

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

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In Chapter 4 of the family's seven-part story, a picture of the boys' daily life in rehab emerges

There are three cardinal rules at the Portage rehab centre for teen

addicts: no sex, no drugs, no violence. Other rules, such as no more than seven cigarettes a day, no spitting on the ground or grass, no headbands, are established by the residents.

The day starts at 6 a.m. or 5:45, depending on the phase of the program, with cleanup of rooms. Breakfast is at 7, followed by cleanup and the morning meeting. There's school every day except Fridays and residents are responsible for serving all meals and cleaning up afterward. There's a group meeting every night at 8:30 and lights are out at 10.

Fifty per cent of residents quit before completing the program; of the graduates, 85 per cent stay straight.

- - -

"Bonjour famille!"

"Bonjour Nicolas!"

Nicolas, dressed in his usual baggy jeans and polo shirt with the collar standing up, stood at the front of Portage's dining room on a hot and humid June day, about a week before his 17th birthday. He'd had his hair cut close to his scalp and he'd put on some weight, working out in Portage's sparse weight room. He's the spitting image of his father, with his large brown eyes and high cheekbones.

"I'm frustrated with my behaviour," he said to the group of adolescent boys gathered in the room. "I threatened someone."

"Merci, Nick!" the group said in unison.

This is the morning meeting, where a couple of dozen or so hormone-charged, gangly teenage boys gather to talk about their progress in their fight against

addiction, their concerns and needs. If they want to talk to someone, another resident stands up and volunteers to make an appointment to listen and perhaps offer advice.

Francois Lemieux, a graduate of the program and one of 17 staff members, supervises the meeting, but it's basically run by the teens.

Accepting crack addicts Nicolas and his brother, Julian, at the same time was a first for Portage. Staff had many reservations about the boys being able to find their own way.

Nicolas was absolutely determined to not only get through the program, but

being a kid who hates to be criticized, do it with shining colours. As someone who looked up to his older brother and would do anything he did, even smoke crack, Julian was determined to get through as well.

But as they would later discover, succeeding at Portage, with its lack of temptations and constant watch by other residents, wouldn't be the hard part. Staying straight while on the outside would be.

On June 10, Nicolas went home for the first time since starting at Portage. He was accompanied by a "shotgun" - another Portage resident who was farther along in his therapy and could help Nicolas if he felt himself slipping. But before being allowed to leave Portage, Nicolas had to fill out a form, saying exactly what he was going to do, who he'd see and how much he'd spend and on what. He wrote, "Home at 11 p.m. Lights out at 11:30."

Julian, who wasn't allowed yet to leave Portage, called home that night, crying, wanting to be with the family to celebrate Nicolas's 17th birthday, and apologizing for all the bad things he'd done to his parents, Rodolfo Borello and Jennifer de Freitas.

After dinner, Nicolas headed out on the town with his shotgun. As his curfew approached, Nicolas called home to say they were heading to Mount Royal Park to meet a girl with whom he'd had had a stormy relationship. They'd be home at 11:30, he promised. As the hands of the clock inched toward midnight, and there was still no sign of Nicolas, Rodolfo and Jennifer could feel the dread rising in their chests.

"It kind of took us back 21/2 months," Rodolfo recalled.

"I was worried about a dramatic night ahead," Jennifer said. Then, as always, putting her faith in the boys: "Not that he'd take drugs, but that he'd have strong cravings and break something, or a dealer would come to the door."

Finally, Nicolas came through the door at the stroke of midnight, and Jennifer and Rodolfo were able to breathe once again. Twice that weekend, a friend called offering him pot. Both times, he explained he wasn't using anymore.

- - -

Midsummer, a group of 14 boys, including Nicolas and Julian, headed into Tremblant Park from Portage for five days. They were pushed to challenge themselves physically, swimming, playing capture the flag in canoes, sleeping in tents and fishing for their food.

The following week, something seemed to be in the air at Portage. Kids were jittery, being out of their regular school-year schedule. Five kids dropped out of the program and the long-time director, Francois Bourdon, announced he was leaving after 20 years,to open a golf

driving range with his brother. Patrick Varin was named his successor.

- - -

Julian turned 15 on Aug. 15 and marked off four months of sobriety on his calendar. But Jennifer was in Europe for both milestones.

"It makes me sad," Julian said, biting his lower lip.

His brother had been clean for five months.

"I take it one day at a time," Nicolas said, sitting in a light rain at the edge of Lake Echo and spitting on the ground. "Today I don't feel like getting high, but I don't know what I'll feel like tomorrow."

- - -

One family's fight against crack

Julian, Nicolas and their parents agreed to share their very personal story with The Gazette in the hope of helping others battling addiction.

Saturday: Chapter 1 - A drug problem uncovered.

Sunday: Chapter 2 - Nicolas on the road to rehab.

Yesterday: Chapter 3 - Julian makes it to Portage.

Today: Chapter 4 - Sticking with the program.

Tomorrow: Chapter 5 - Support group for parents. What went wrong?

Thursday: Chapter 6 - Family therapy.

Friday: Chapter 7 - Bringing the boys home.

To read this story online or to catch up on chapters that you've missed, go to www.montrealgazette.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006 Copyright © 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.