Understanding addicts the first key to helping them recover, says expert

By Lethbridge Herald on June 28, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

People dealing with addiction need a lot of care and support, and sometimes that includes a shove in the right direction, says an expert in the subject.

Chasen Miko, interim operations manager for Fresh Start Recovery, spoke to the Southern Alberta Council of Public Affairs Thursday about chalwlenges people with addiction face and how best to support them.

When asked about his stance on Alberta’s proposed Compassionate Intervention Act, Miko noted that each year Fresh Start Recovery has 200 people on the wait list and often by the time they are able to reach out the person is no longer interested.

The Fresh Start organization is a nationally recognized leader in addiction recovery that runs the South Country Treatment Centre in Lethbridge and another centre in Calgary.

The choices people make in active addiction often have severe consequences to not just the individual, but also to their loved ones and family members and often these choices are due to chemical imbalances in the brain.

“The unfortunate reality is that people have lost the capacity to make sound decisions sometimes,” said Miko. “There’s imbalances within the brain chemistry that create difficulties in assessing their needs.”

He added that, while Fresh Start Recovery is a voluntary, about 90 per cent of the participants are mandated in one way or another, whether by family telling them they will cut the person off if they don’t get help, or they are facing losing their job.

Miko also noted that he sees lower participation with these individuals, however most of the time there is a shift halfway through where they get an “aha” moment.

“At least 80 per cent, if not more, of the individuals that are mandated in some way or another, they have a (psychological) shift halfway through the program,” said Miko. “They start to work on daily living activities, we start to talk with them about how doing this can affect your life for change and we almost get that “aha” moment when we work with them”

Shortly after his answer, there was a rebuttal question by an audience member who pointed out in the Mental Health Act, there is an option to appeal the decision, which is often made by a psychiatrist. But the Compassionate Intervention Act doesn’t have clear guidelines as to who makes the decisions.

Fresh Start receives 55 per cent of its funding through government agencies, with the remaining amount being fundraised. With the Lethbridge location being out of town, Miko said it can be difficult to receive grants, even though a lot of their clientele return to the city after graduating the program.

Being outside city limits also creates a barrier for clients to be able to access the centre, as there are no bus routes that go to the facility.

Fresh Start has an intensive 14-to-16-week program with each day beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. During the day residents have meditations, group work, fitness hours, and then recreation activities after dinner.

Miko said while it is an intensive program, especially for those who have lived on the street for some time, by the time they are ready to leave, they are scared because of the structure they are used to.

With an 83 per cent success rate, Fresh Start has about 400 members in their alumni association, which provides support to those in the program and others who have graduated, including hosting laser tag nights, super bowl parties, fishing and many other activities.

Each month they also host a “birthday” party to connect with graduates of the program and once they hit their one-year milestone, the participant is given a plaque and at five and 10 years a jersey is hung in the rafters.

Miko noted that addiction can affect anyone at any age, but with the right supports they can get back on track and stay there.