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.

He began drinking at the age of 14, considered himself an alcoholic at
18, and by the age of 22 was living in his car for three weeks after
drinking away his rent money.

“The booze was more important than the bed,” he said.

For most of his 30s Regehr was a homeless person, living in stairwells,
on the street and even wound up in jail. He also became addicted to
Percodan.

Mental illness began to surface, he was often hungry and his intestines
began to deteriorate to the point he was passing nothing but blood and
water for months. Any self-esteem he had, was gone.

At 37, however, he found the courage to make a phone call to a Peel help
line which led to time in various detox centres and Alcoholic’s Anonymous.

However, despite five years of sobriety, Regehr still struggled with
inner demons and only began to feel better after two years of intense
private therapy.

In 2000 he started a self-help group– Come and Sit Together (CAST)–
for anyone who wants to make big changes in their lives. He now devotes
himself full-time to CAST, whose mission is to reduce mental health and
addiction stigmas. He has spoken at many schools in Halton and Peel, is
also involved as a representative and advisor of many mental health
organizations, including Mental Health Works Ontario, the Ontario
Substance Abuse Bureau and is currently a working group member for the
development of an Ontario Drug Strategy.

Tom Regehr could easily have been just another statistic. Instead, he
chose a tougher path and in doing so, has shown no situation is hopeless.

Congratulations, Tom.