From ‘vicious cycle’ to outreach: a Thunder Bay story
Born in Thunder Bay and raised in Peterborough, a woman who says she was trapped in a “vicious cycle” of alcoholism and addiction now works to help others find their way out. The 41-year-old outreach worker, who asked to be identified by name in local reporting, said she left home at 14 and has lived in Thunder Bay ever since.
She is more than 5½ years into recovery and works as the membership and programming co‑ordinator for People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE), which operates a drop‑in centre on the city’s south side. Her story underlines the human toll within a community that, by provincial measures, has the highest opioid‑related death rate in Ontario.
- Left home at age 14 and has lived in Thunder Bay since.
- Used alcohol and drugs — including opiates, cocaine and crack cocaine — to cope with trauma and mental‑health challenges.
- More than 5½ years into recovery and now works at PACE supporting others.
She described years of masking severe substance use behind a persona she called “high‑functioning.” In one episode she was admitted to hospital with a subdural hematoma the size of a softball and a blood‑alcohol concentration of 0.45, a level clinicians say can be fatal. She later came to regard surviving that episode as a turning point.
“I’m at peace. I’m happy. I get to come to work, and I get to tell my story and I get to be somebody — a light to somebody.”
In interviews she said alcohol and several classes of drugs became tools to cope with unresolved trauma and mental‑health struggles. She described cycles of short sobriety followed by relapse, and said it was not until she confronted underlying issues that sustained recovery became possible. Today, her paid work at PACE places her on the front lines, connecting people who use substances with supports in a city facing elevated opioid harms.
Local context and consequences
Thunder Bay’s ranking for opioid‑related deaths in Ontario has made addiction and overdose a central public‑health conversation locally. The presence of community organisations such as PACE, which provides drop‑in services, is part of the patchwork of supports aimed at reducing harm and keeping people alive. Her transition from client to coordinator exemplifies a recovery pathway that also bolsters capacity for peer‑led outreach.
Her experience mirrors patterns seen by service providers: substance use often intersects with trauma and mental‑health conditions, and many people who use substances describe periods of functioning externally while struggling internally. That dynamic can complicate recognition by friends, family, employers and clinicians, and it can delay access to sustained care.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Age | 41 |
| Time since recovery began | 5½ years |
| Notable medical episode | Subdural haematoma; blood alcohol 0.45 |
| Employer | People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE) |
Her story also highlights how people who survive severe substance use and overdose can become vital contributors to local support systems. Peer workers often provide credibility and lived‑experience insight that complements clinical care, and organisations that employ them point to improved engagement among those reluctant to trust formal services.
For residents, this account reinforces the importance of accessible, sustained supports for people living with addiction, and of recognising the complex mix of trauma, mental health and substance use that many experience. It also provides a local example of recovery that may offer hope to others amid a difficult landscape of overdose and loss.
In Thunder Bay, where community agencies and health authorities continue to adapt responses to substance use, lived‑experience voices like hers are increasingly visible — not only in drop‑in centres and outreach programs, but also in public conversations about prevention, treatment and harm reduction.
