Earl Thiessen Oxford House Calgary Shares Journey!
Recently, I had to restart my LinkedIn account, and in the process, I have been blessed to connect with Earl Thiessen, Executive Director, Oxford House, Calgary, Alberta. In his initial blog post on the Oxford House website, he shares part of his inspiring overcome journey - a journey that has truly equipped him to help others get on their true path.
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| Earl Thiessen Wearing His Every Child Matters Orange Shirt |
Here is an excerpt from his blog post on the Oxford House website:
Earl Thiessen, Executive Director, Oxford House Sharing Inspiring Journey
This is my first blog post as Oxford House’s Executive Director, and I would like to take the opportunity to share a bit of my story and my dreams for the future with you. The first time I went to treatment in the fall of 2000, I left my apartment, walked up to Renfrew to detox. From there I went to Kapown Treatment Centre. When I came back from treatment, an Oxford House support worker dropped me off at what would be my new home. My bedroom had a curtain for a wall. I shrugged it off and threw in a load of laundry and watched the washing machine bounce off the wall. When I pulled the washing machine out, there were liquor bottles behind it. So, I went upstairs, tossed my key to my roommate, said see ya and went back to my brother’s house. Eventually, I got kicked out of my brother’s place. Having him drop me off at the Drop-In Centre was one of the scariest experiences I ever had. But I fit in right away. Alcoholism turned into drug addiction. That’s when I got a lot of hands-on education about addiction and recovery. I was on the streets for seven years, on and off. In total, I went through detox twenty-five times and through treatment five times.In 2007, I got clean and moved into an Oxford House again.When I became a support worker in June 2009, the way some people were being introduced to Oxford House didn’t sit well with me. I remembered my own experience coming into Oxford House and I didn’t want anyone else to experience that. Over these last four years, I have appreciated the confidence and trust Pat Nixon has had in me to make decisions about the program and implement changes where needed, such as implementing Entry-Level and Pre-treatment housing. These vital programs complement the services we’ve been offering since the beginning. ... Obviously, there’s a downside to working in the addiction recovery sector. We are all too familiar with the heart-wrenching stories about men and women who don’t make it. But the positives outweigh the negatives—seeing peoples’ smiles, seeing people with their kids, seeing people happy that they’ve learned to accept themselves for who they are is so rewarding. To lead Oxford House into the future is exciting for me. It’s a bit nerve-racking too. But I believe with the continued guidance of Pat I will be able to handle that. I’m extremely grateful for Oxford House and for all the ways that you support us. I’m a prime example of if you want it, and you have people who believe in you, you can get it. Forever grateful, Earl Thiessen
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May your day be blessed with the opportunity to connect with inspiring teachers,
Su
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