Recovering addict offers support to teens on the same path he once took
CBC
To Tim Durling, the time spent in his shop in Saint-Antoine chiselling used pallets into play structures for children is more than just a way to pay the bills.
It's what saved him from a life derailed by addiction.
"I probably spend too much time here, but it's what was created as my safety blanket," he said, covered in a layer of sawdust and sitting in front of a wooden playhouse and plane.
A little more than 10 years ago, Durling was in the throes of drug addiction, on the run from the police, and separated from his three children.
What began as a hobby to keep him busy as he began his recovery became the turning point to a better life.
He created Pallet Works NB, which is now busier than ever.
A weekly support group he started for teens in Moncton has been going strong for nine years.
And he has reconnected with his own children.
Durling has told his story countless times to students in local schools and through his work as an addictions counsellor.
"I keep my reality very close to me," he said. "I don't forget the people I hurt . … I don't want to go down that road again."
Eva LeBlanc first met Durling when she started a six-month recovery program at Portage Atlantic, a drug rehabilitation centre for young people.
She was 16 when she was at Portage, southwest of Sussex, and would meet with Durling at least once a week. She said he was introduced to her as "the funny one" who could bring levity to an otherwise tense process.
"It was like one of the first times that I had a genuine laugh being in my program, which really stuck with me."
LeBlanc, now 19, still contacts Durling whenever she feels overwhelmed with her recovery.
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