Recognizing National Indigenous Peoples Day

Avalon is proud to recognize and celebrate the diversity of women in our community and amplify their voices and perspectives using our blog as a key platform. Today, we acknowledge National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. In what follows, we will discuss addiction in the context of Indigenous Canadians (including histories and statistics), and speak on […]
#PrideMonth Series: Guylaine Speaks on Addiction and her Trans Experience

Diversity, inclusion, and acceptance are key guiding principles at Avalon and are crucial to creating a sense of belonging in recovery. We intentionally work to create safe environments for anyone who identifies and lives full-time as a woman, trans-inclusive. As we continue to recognize and celebrate Pride Month, we have Guylaine, a woman of Avalon, […]
#PrideMonth Series: Megala Speaks on Self-Worth and Recovery

Avalon wishes everyone a happy Pride Month! We are so proud to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, offering recovery services to anyone who identifies and lives full-time as a woman, trans-inclusive. We hold diversity, inclusion, and acceptance as key guiding principles at Avalon. Our community is intentionally a safe space for all women. Throughout Pride […]
How to Make Every Day “World No Tobacco Day”

We want to recognize World No Tobacco Day, but truly, everyone should aim to make every day tobacco-free! Easier said than done, right? Well, if you are looking to cut tobacco out of your life, this blog is for you. We will be discussing ways to prepare to quit, tips on quitting, and give you some motivation to start or continue your journey. Smoking tobacco is not […]
How to Support a Loved One with Addiction

Have you ever wondered what you should do if you have suspicions or concerns about a loved one and their relationship with substances? If yes, this blog was written for you. It can be scary and daunting to realize that someone you love and care for is travelling down a dangerous road, but you are […]
A Story of Recovery Shared Between a Mother and Son

Happy Mother’s Day! To honour this special day, we are sharing a candid story between a mother and son. Kyle is the 23-year-old son of Valerie, a woman in recovery and long-time Woman of Avalon. Kyle and Valerie’s relationship is contextualized by her sobriety, like many others who come through our doors with unique experiences of motherhood and mothering while also in recovery. Early years Kyle grew up […]
Emotions in Recovery: Awareness, Commonalities & Resources

This week, Avalon is recognizing CMHA’s Mental Health Week and the theme of getting real about our emotions. In recovery, this can be particularly crucial to healing and long-term success. Active addiction involves avoiding emotions and choosing to use substances or participate in other addictive behavioural activities when confronted with difficult feelings to alleviate or numb the pain. In truth, this doesn’t erase any emotions, and they often come […]
Recovery in Another Language with Olga

Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week! Today’s blog is the third and final in our week-long series celebrating #NationalVolunteerWeek. We are excited to be sharing Olga’s story with you, as she played an integral part in diversifying and expanding Avalon in wonderful new ways. Keep reading to learn more about Olga, her history with Avalon, and what it […]
The Avalon Volunteer Experience from Niamh & Caoimhe

In honour of National Volunteer Week, we’re continuing to shine a light on some of our amazing volunteers. Niamh and Caoimhe are two wonderful volunteers who have been invaluable to our organization and they both have something very interesting in common, aside from volunteering – read more to find out what! We’re so honoured that they choose to dedicate time to Avalon and are thrilled to […]
Art and Volunteerism: Carolyn’s Story

Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week! Volunteers are the root of our Avalon community and we are so grateful to every person who gives their time to support women in recovery. The theme for this year’s National Volunteer Week is “The Value of One, The Power of Many”. We see this exemplified with the Women of Avalon on a daily […]