Fresh Start
is a 50-bed residential alcohol and drug addiction treatment centre
for men in Calgary, Alberta.
We base our program on the 12 steps and the Family Systems Method.
We provide a comfortable environment where men and their families can escape addiction, and learn to live rewarding and fulfilling lives in recovery.
Fresh Start has been helping people live in recovery since 1992.
Today we operate in a purpose-built facility that is one of the largest residential treatment centres in Alberta.
Opened in winter 2011/12, our home is the result of years of planning and experience.
We feel it provides the ideal setting for men and their families to begin their new lives, free from addiction.
It’s a big, vibrant, and welcoming place, designed to feel like a home—in fact, our residents and staff alike refer to it as “the House”.
The House features:
26 residents’ rooms
Group and individual counseling rooms
Meditation rooms
Gymnasium
Dining hall
Kitchen run by Red Seal Chef
Proximity to major transit routes
The Disease Concept
The overwhelming majority of medical opinion and practice supports the definition of addiction as a disease. Fresh Start treatment follows the disease concept: We see addiction as an illness that is progressive, and often fatal if untreated. The good news is that with treatment and a program of recovery, addicts can and do live healthy, happy and productive lives.
We offer residential and out-patient treatment options, as well as our Family Healing Program. Fresh Start residents take part in an intensive recovery program that can last from 8 to 16 weeks.
The program includes daily individual and group counseling, as well as recreational therapeutic activities. Our program is comprehensive and holistic: we aim to start the healing process physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Throughout our program we seek to foster respect, for self and others.
We require all residents to attend 3 outside 12 Step meetings each week, and one in-house alumni meeting. This helps to develop a much-needed support system for after treatment is finished.
We feel that life in recovery is worth celebrating; those who successfully complete our program graduate at a special ceremony.
Graduates can stay in the House for up to 18 months, as long as they are employed or enrolled in an education program, and continue to abstain from alcohol and drug use.
For those who wish to stay longer with Fresh Start, our Stage Two Housing provides access to program support in a more independent setting.
808 Abbeydale Drive N.E., Calgary, Alberta, T2A-5X9
Phone: 403-387-6266