Maison Dunham House

09/15/2025

Important Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Addiction
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, talking to your doctor is a crucial first step.

Healthcare providers are trained to handle these conversations with compassion and without judgment.

Key questions to ask:
✅ "Do I need assessment for mental health conditions alongside substance use?"
✅ "Are you certified in addiction counseling ?"
✅ "What treatment options are available for my situation?"
✅ "Will this information remain confidential?"

Remember: Being honest about your concerns helps your doctor provide the best care.

Recovery is possible, and asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

💙 At Dunham House, we understand that every recovery journey is unique—our experienced team creates personalized treatment plans for addiction that address your specific needs and provide support for mental health challenges.

📞 Contact us :https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/contact-us

09/13/2025

Weekend Wellness

🌅 Slow morning energy - Sleep in, cozy coffee, no rush
🌿 Get outside - Walk, park hangs, or just open those windows
🎨 Create something - Doodle, cook, dance in your kitchen
📱 Phone break - Try a few hours offline (you'll survive!)
🛁 Rest mode activated - Bath, nap, or just chill on the couch

At Dunham House, our inpatient recovery center in the beautiful Eastern Townships, we understand that healing happens when we address both addiction and concurrent mental health challenges.

Nature-infused wellness activities are essential parts of recovery - helping clients reconnect, ground themselves, and find peace.

Self-care isn't selfish - it's survival!

What's your go-to weekend reset?

Drop it in the comments 👇

09/12/2025

What if people pleasing is actually a behavioral addiction?

The same brain pathways that drive substance abuse also fuel our desperate need for approval.

Picture this: You spend all day accommodating everyone else's needs, then find yourself reaching for substances at night just to cope with the exhaustion and resentment.

That feeling when saying YES drains your soul but saying NO feels impossible?
There's a neurobiological reason behind it.

Read our latest blog to discover the hidden connection between people pleasing and addiction, plus proven recovery strategies.

👉

Why do people pleasers face higher addiction risk? Uncover the shame-guilt cycle, codependency patterns, and boundary-setting strategies for recovery.

09/11/2025

Your Recovery Journey Starts Here 🌲
At Dunham House, we specialize in recovery, treating both addiction and mental health together in our supportive Eastern Townships environment.

Recovery Programs:
1-Month Residential Recovery
6-Month Extended Residential Recovery
Montreal Outpatient Recovery Support at Queen Elizabeth Health Complex
https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/programs

NEW FAMILY RECOVERY PROGRAM
Our six-week Family Addiction Support Program helps families heal together through the recovery process. Learn to understand addiction, improve communication, and rebuild trust.

Next cohort (in person) starts September 23rd - Register now to secure your spot!
https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/family

Ready to begin your recovery journey?
Contact us today.
https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/contact-us

09/10/2025

To anyone who needs to hear this today ❤️

If you're reading this and struggling, I want you to know: you are seen, you are valued, and you are not alone.

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day.

It's not just about sharing resources (though those matter too)—it's about honoring the very real pain that so many carry in silence.

Mental health struggles don't discriminate.

They touch all of us—the friend who always seems happy, the coworker who has it "all together," the family member who's everyone's rock. Pain doesn't have a face, and neither does hope.

If you're in recovery: Your courage is extraordinary. The fact that you're still here, still fighting, still believing in tomorrow—even when today feels impossible—that's heroism in its purest form.

Healing isn't linear, and that's okay.

You're okay.

Your life has meaning. Your story matters. And it's far from over.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is ask for help.
Sometimes it's just getting through today.

Both count.
Both matter.
You matter.

Help is always here:
🆘 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988

To everyone supporting someone: your presence is medicine.
Keep showing up.

09/09/2025

The Garden Story 🌱

Sarah stared at her grandmother's overgrown garden, inherited along with the house. For months, she'd tried planting new flowers around the existing weeds, hoping beauty would somehow emerge from the chaos.

Nothing thrived.

Her neighbor, an elderly man with soil-stained hands, watched her struggle. "Sometimes," he said gently, "you have to pull up what's there before anything new can grow."

Sarah hesitated. Those weeds had deep roots. It would be hard work, and the garden would look bare and vulnerable for a while.

But that weekend, she began. With each stubborn root she extracted, she thought about her own life - the old stories she told herself, the patterns that kept her small, the fears that masqueraded as protection.

By spring, where tangled weeds once choked the soil, delicate shoots pushed through rich, dark earth. Her grandmother's garden had become her own.

Sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is create space - in our gardens and in our hearts.

What old pattern are you ready to uproot to make room for who you're becoming? 🌸

09/08/2025

The Canadian Mental Health Association just dropped some real truth: "uncertainty can make it harder to feel joy and control emotions" and is "often linked to anxiety, depression, greater substance use, and higher rates of su***de."

42% of Canadians have elevated anxiety right now.
Economic chaos, political uncertainty - it's a lot.

If you're in recovery, this hits different.

We know what overwhelming uncertainty feels like, and how tempting it can be to numb the chaos.

But here's what recovery taught us: We don't have to drink or use over uncertainty.

The same tools that got us sober work for navigating shaky times:
✨One day at a time (sometimes one hour at a time)
✨ Connecting with our community instead of isolating
✨ Practicing acceptance of what we can't control
✨ Taking action on what we CAN control
✨ Staying present instead of catastrophizing about the future

We've been training for this.
Every day we choose recovery, we build resilience for exactly these moments.

Your sobriety isn't just about not drinking - it's about having the tools to weather any storm.

What recovery tool is keeping you grounded today?

source : https://shorturl.at/m6SUf

09/07/2025

"Getting sober is a radically creative act" - Meredith Bell-author

Think about it:
*Artists mix colors to create something new.
*Musicians blend notes into harmony.
*Writers weave words into worlds.

Sobriety? It's the ultimate mixed media project.

You're taking the raw materials of your messy, complicated, beautiful life and saying "I'm going to make something entirely different with this." You're sculpting new neural pathways.

Painting over old patterns. Composing a symphony where silence becomes the most powerful note.

Every sober morning is a blank canvas. Every clear conversation is a masterpiece in progress. Every feeling you actually feel instead of numb is a bold brushstroke across the canvas of who you're becoming.

The world will try to tell you that sobriety is about restriction, about saying "no." But we know the truth - it's the most rebellious "YES" you can give to your own life.

You're not just getting sober.

You're creating yourself from scratch.
And that, my friends, is the most radical art form there is.

What masterpiece are you creating today? 🌈

09/05/2025

Meet John Look!

At Dunham House, we're incredibly fortunate to have John Look wearing two hats – and excelling at both!

As our dedicated Cook AND Lead Gardener, John truly embodies the farm-to-table philosophy.

🥕 From sunrise in the greenhouse to serving dinner, John's day is all about bringing the freshest, most nutritious meals to our residents. He plans, plants, nurtures, and harvests everything with the expertise of a master gardener.

🏆 This year, John's exceptional produce earned multiple awards at both Bedford and Brome local fairs – recognition that speaks volumes about his skill and dedication!

👨‍🍳 What makes John special? He doesn't just grow amazing vegetables and herbs – he transforms them into delicious, high-quality meals that our residents genuinely love. There's something magical about eating food that was harvested just hours before it reaches your plate.

John's passion and talent make every meal at Dunham House a celebration of fresh, local goodness.

We're so grateful for his dedication to excellence in both the garden and the kitchen! 💚

09/04/2025

"Things families wish they knew about their loved one's recovery..."

If you're watching a loved one navigate recovery, this one's for you. ❤️

Recovery affects the whole family - not just the person in treatment. The fear, confusion, and pain you've experienced are real and valid.

But so is hope.

Here's what those in recovery wish their families understood:
🌟 Recovery isn't linear - there will be ups and downs, and that's normal
🌟 You matter too - your feelings and needs are important in this process
🌟 You're learning together - how to communicate, trust, and support each other
🌟 Professional help isn't giving up - it's giving everyone the best chance to succeed

That's exactly why Dunham House is launching our Family Addiction Support Program this fall.

📅 Starting September 23 - In-Person in Montreal
This 6-week program offers families like yours:

You don't have to navigate this alone. Join other families who understand your journey and are committed to healing together.

Ready to take the next step?
https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/family

Because recovery works best when the whole family has support. 💙

09/02/2025

September is National Recovery Month - and science shows addiction isn't a choice, it's a medical condition.

Just like diabetes affects the pancreas and heart disease affects circulation, addiction affects brain circuits that control decision-making and reward processing.

Brain scans show real, measurable changes in people with substance use disorders.

The good news?

Like other chronic diseases, addiction responds to proper medical treatment. 75% of people with addiction do recover with evidence-based care.

This Recovery Month, let's treat addiction with the same compassion we show other medical conditions.

Recovery is possible.

09/01/2025

September is National Recovery Month across Canada! 🇨🇦🌟

Here's what the data tells us: 75% of Canadians who develop addiction do recover, and over 5 million Canadians are currently managing substance use while leading fulfilling lives.

Even more inspiring? 90.7% of Canadians in recovery rate their quality of life as excellent, very good, or good. Employment rates jump from 52.6% to 79.1%, and family participation increases from 31% to over 90%.

The momentum is building: opioid deaths dropped 17% in 2024, treatment programs show 95.6% success rates, and 51.2% achieve stable recovery without relapse.

From coast to coast to coast - recovery stories are unfolding everywhere in our beautiful country.

Recovery doesn't discriminate by province, language, or postal code.

Treatment works.
People recover.
Families heal.

Your story matters. Your recovery matters. 🍁

Ready to start your recovery journey?
Dunham House - Inpatient Recovery Services for Canadians

🌐 https://www.dunhamhouse.ca/