“I knew I was finally in the right place”: Karol’s Story

When Karol came to Harvest House, his life was a disaster. At 21 years old, he was homeless and willing to do anything it took to get drugs. Desperation drove him through the doors at Harvest House.

“I was afraid I’d do something stupid that would get me killed or put in jail for a long time. For me, coming to Harvest House was a sigh of relief. I knew I was finally in the right place and able to start doing something with my life.”

Today, Karol is two years sober and has hope for his future. He says that one of the key lessons he has learned is to look at himself rather than constantly pointing fingers and blaming others.

For the past six months, Karol has been working as a supervisor in the phone room at Harvest House, supporting newer residents as they speak to donors on the phone. He has shown himself to be capable and trustworthy in the new opportunities he has been given at Harvest House.

Karol has also begun to reconnect and rebuild trust with his family. He shares that his relationship with his younger brother has been especially rewarding for him.

“I have been able to help my little brother, grow a strong relationship with him, and have some conversations with him about when I was using that have been meaningful for both of us.”

Karol plans to build on the success that he has had at Harvest House by pursuing an education. He is currently taking online courses through George Brown College that will allow him to become certified as a building code designer. He also plans to go to Algonquin College to pursue business management.

Karol’s faith has played an important role in his recovery. “One of the most important things in my recovery,” Karol says, “has been spending time in the Bible. I’m learning to express when I have problems and then to go and find Scripture that’s going to help me deal with that problem.”

At Harvest House, we teach men that recovery is a life-long journey taken one day at a time. After years of substance use, it takes time and persistence to learn a new way of living and reap the rewards of that new lifestyle.

In his two years at Harvest House, Karol has recognized that achieving his goals will take long-term commitment.

“Becoming successful in recovery and in life is a journey. It’s not something that happens overnight.”

Today, Karol’s future is bright. At Harvest House, he is building a foundation for life-long recovery and success.