Article in the Bracebridge Examiner

Seminar Examines Youth Drug Behaviour

November 25, 2009 – by Karen Longwell

A lifelong struggle with addiction spiralled into homelessness for Tom Regehr, who spoke recently at a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) seminar on teen drug use behaviour.

“Several times I was so close to death it was scary,” said Regehr during the talk on Nov. 18 at Rene M. Caisse Theatre in Bracebridge. More than 100 people gathered for the forum.

When Regehr was 28 years old, he was a successful landscaping consultant and doing well financially and professionally, he explained.

“I did specialty work; I made a lot of money. I put almost all of it up my nose in powder cocaine, (and) a lot of it went down my throat in beer,” he said.

At one point, friends asked Regehr to get help and he refused. Soon after that he became homeless.

“The year after that, I was the guy on the street with the long beard,” said Regehr. “I had one set of clothes from fall to summer and there was one winter there where I barely remember anything.”

The people who finally helped Regehr looked him right in the eye and spoke in short, straightforward sentences with love, he said.

Regehr talked about the trauma of losing his mother to mental illness when he was a child and how that led him to binge drinking and addiction.

These days, Regehr makes speeches about his healing from trauma, addiction and homelessness while promoting a self-help group he founded named Come And Sit Together (CAST).

In his experience working with young people, Regehr suggested many who use cannabis and alcohol do so because of stress and anxiety.

He suggested parents listen and give youth a home for their confusion.

In North Simcoe-Muskoka, youth from Grades 9 to 12 have the highest rates of cannabis and alcohol use in the province, said Suzanne Witt-Foley, program consultant for CAMH in Muskoka.

In a comparative list of drugs, cannabis, alcohol and opiate pain relievers are the most commonly used substances for most youth in this area, she said. Crystal meth and other similar drugs have very low reported use in Simcoe-Muskoka, she said.

“What the ones on the list (cannabis, alcohol and opiate pain relievers) do is make you mellow and deal with teenage angst,” said Regehr. “That list was an indicator about teenage angst. It was not about addiction, it was about substance abuse, it was about painkillers — whether it was about alcohol, marijuana, (and) the opiate.”

There is a significant jump in substance use from Grade 8 to Grade 9, according to figures gathered by CAMH.

The transition from Grade 8 to high school while undergoing puberty can be a difficult time for young people, said Regehr, adding that cannabis and alcohol are addictive substances. As an unregulated substance, cannabis can be dangerous, he said.

The use of opiate pain relievers such as OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Tylenol 3, Demerol and codeine are very dangerous and difficult to quit once a person is addicted, said Witt-Foley.

Almost 75 per cent of youth who admit to using painkillers said they are finding opiates in their home medicine cabinets, said Witt-Foley.

“This is another opportunity for parents to clean out your medicine cabinets,” she said.

Tracey Bornet-Greene, a mental health professional from RISK, which implements alcohol and drug use prevention programs, also spoke at the event. Bornet-Greene said parents can start speaking to their children about drugs as young as age six. At an early age children can understand how medicine from a doctor can help a person get better when they are ill.

Parents can let their preteen children know the risks. When youth enter their teens, it is important for parents to know who their children are socializing with and establish open communication, she noted.

There are resources in the community to help parents learn how to talk to children about drugs and alcohol. Addiction Outreach has offices in Muskoka and Parry Sound. Call 1-800-668-1856 1-800-668-1856 for more information.

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Some comments about the book and what I  think!

The book In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts and Gabor Mate himself sure get a lot of attention !!  I am now reading to book from start  finish after giving it a quick scan.  So far, I have one large feeling and one large question right off the bat.  First the feeling:

- there is a LOT of learning in this book !! I feel that everyone in the western world should read this book! And I want to find ways to capture, share and make real the learnings in practical ways.  How could we do that?  Hold workshops? Have gatherings similar to book clubs?  Start a blog? hmMM? Did you read the book? Would you tell me what you found valuable? And tell me what you think in general. Some look at Mate as  a hero, what do you feel?

And now the question:

- who the hell is Fellini? Mate refers to him twice in the first few pages of the book – and also,  I guess I have 2 questions – I also need to ask - “Hey Gabor, who did you write this book for?”

The Independent Free Press, Georgetown, ON
Tuesday May 1 2007

LISA TALLYN, Staff Writer

Tom Regehr spent most of his 30s estranged from his family, drunk and
homeless.

But that life is worlds away from the one Regehr, 49, is living today.

It was not an easy road for the Georgetown man, but he has now been
sober for 12 years. He lives in a comfortable home, is reunited with his
family, is in a relationship, and is responsible for launching a support
group that has helped change the lives of many others struggling with
addiction.

Read the rest of this entry »

Moods Magazine – Summer 2007
by: Sarah Prowse

“It is the Oscars of our world, there’s nothing bigger” says Tom Regehr about winning the Courage to Come Back Award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The night of the awards dinner there are more than 800 people in a hotel ballroom in downtown Toronto. People are elbowing each other to take pictures during photos sessions. Regehr and the other winners appear in every major paper and some on TV and radio. The ceremony was broadcast on local cable and CAMH raised more than $500,000 that night.

“I was very proud”

From his hotel room on the 27th floor at dawn the next day, Regehr could see the neighbourhood where he was homeless 14 years ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Independent & Free Press
Georgetown, ON
Tuesday, May 1 2007

Tom Regehr could easily be dead today.

Instead, the Georgetown man likely will be deciding which tie to wear
tomorrow (Thursday) in Toronto when he will be presented with a 2007
Courage to Come Back Award at a gala dinner organized by the Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health Foundation.

The award recognizes the achievements of people across Ontario who have
shown courage and determination in the face of mental illness and
addiction. The winners have achieved personal victories and now serve as
models of hope and inspiration for others facing similar circumstances.

Regehr’s story is truly amazing.

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The Brampton Bulletin,
September 29th, 2005

As Tom Regehr sits across the street from Brampton’s City Hall, he remembers the day when he slept beneath the canopy of the park’s trees. Ten years have passed and a lifetime of change from the days when Regehr lived on the streets, the result of years of drinking and drug abuse. Today, he heads CAST Canada, an organization he started five years ago that looks at reducing the stigma of mental health and addiction through speaking engagements and training for health professionals.

But that is just one part of Regehr’s accomplishments and only one part of the story – a story that he shares in hopes of reaching a soul lost to drugs or offer a helping hand to a family member, friend or health advocate.

Read the rest of this entry »