Quebec saw a record number of overdose deaths in 2024 — a reminder that many people are still struggling with addiction and need more support.
As the crisis deepens, stories of recovery can offer something many people feel they’ve lost: hope.
One of those stories belongs to Diane Levesque, a woman who rebuilt her life through Portage — a non-profit that runs residential addiction treatment programs.
Today, she works there as an addiction counsellor, helping people overcome the same struggles she once faced.
Diane Levesque, addiction counsellor and former mother-child program resident at Portage, is seen on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A mother fighting to save herself — and her child
Levesque once lived with alcohol and cocaine addiction, a cycle she battled all her life. Multiple attempts at 28-day programs weren’t enough, and when she became pregnant with her second child, she found herself unable to stop drinking.
“I was pregnant with and I wasn’t able to stop using alcohol,” she said. “I gave birth, I wasn’t able to stop again.”
Her breaking point came when youth protection showed up at her home. She said she handed them her baby and told them to take him.
“It was the worst decision of my life,” she said.
Levesque searched online for help and found Portage’s mother-child program — the only one in Canada that allows women in residential treatment to stay with their young children.
As she waited for a spot, she managed to get her baby back and arrived at Portage determined to rebuild her life.
A sign displaying Portage’s philosophy is pictured on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A unique program that kept a mother and child together
For Levesque, entering a program where her son could stay with her was life-changing.
“That gives me hope and that gives me self-confidence and that gives me the strength with the community,” she said. “We all work together, we have the same behavior, the same problem, we’re struggling with the same stuff.”
A child’s bed with stuffed animals is shown in the mother-child unit at Portage on Nov. 26, 2025.(Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Her program lasted nine months — from December 2020 to September 2021 — and it helped her discover parts of herself she thought she had lost.
“Two things that I learned here is that all I need was inside myself already, just maybe hidden by the using,” she said. “And what I learned also: that I was not alone.”
She said living as a group was challenging but transformative.
“I was full of behaviors. I was not the person that I am today. I changed a lot,” she said. “It’s not easy living with 21 people. But it works.”
Having her son by her side gave her purpose.
“That’s the biggest gift that you can make to a child — getting sober as a mom,” Levesque expressed.
A crib is seen inside a bedroom in the mother-child unit at Portage on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
The reality of addiction — and the courage to ask for help
Levesque said she wants people to understand how addiction can take over a life.
“Addiction is very struggling. It’s very hard to get out of there. It comes on a very sneaky way,” she said. “It becomes like if you need to drink or to eat, you need the substance and it’s getting harder and harder, stronger. And you really need help to get out of that.”
Her message to people who feel trapped is simple and direct.
“You’re not alone. There is some person living the same thing as you live right now, you’re not alone,” she said. “I know you’re feeling lonely right now, but you’re not alone. There’s help.”
From participant to counsellor
Before she entered treatment, Levesque had trained as a specialized educator, but says she lost herself with the consumption. After graduating from Portage, she decided to return — this time as part of the team.
“I was believing in the Partage program,” she said. “I went through that. I was avid in my art, in my veins. So definitely I want to end my life working for Partage, surrounded by Partage people.”
A resident’s room at the Portage treatment facility is pictured on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Her lived experience guides her approach to the people she now supports.
“I hope I have the modesty to understand what they are going through because I’ve been there,” she said.
She continued in Portage’s reinsertion program for 18 months after completing treatment, rebuilding her stability and confidence.
Today, she celebrates nearly five years of sobriety. Her son, who was five months old when she entered the program, is now five years old.
A shared living space inside the mother-child unit at Portage is shown on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Portage’s mission — and why keeping families together matters
Geneviève Lefebvre, executive director and CEO of Portage, says the organization provides residential services for youth, adults, young adults, mothers and children, and people dealing with both addiction and severe mental health issues. It also offers employment support, daycare and supervised apartments.
“The recovery starts with an assessment,” she said. “We need to know if the person is the right fit for Portage.”
Residential programs typically last up to six months, followed by up to 18 months of aftercare.
“We do everything at Portage to make sure that people will succeed in their recovery process,” she said.
Geneviève Lefebvre, executive director and CEO of Portage, is seen on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Lefebvre said the mother-child program is built to counter one of the greatest fears women face in treatment — being separated from their child.
“The mothers and the women that are pregnant with child, their greatest fear is to lose their child,” she said.
In the program, mothers and children live in the same room, follow daily routines, and build parenting skills while the mother attends treatment sessions.
“What we want at Portage is for the mother and the child to feel just like if it was a regular home,” Lefebvre said.
She said the transformation over six to nine months is often striking.
“The mothers are able to continue their life outside of Portage with their child at home with a social support system,” she said. “They have healthy routine, they have tools to be able to cope with life stressors.”
A crib is seen inside a bedroom in the mother-child unit at Portage on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Lived experience as a foundation
About 40 per cent of Portage’s staff are former participants — something Lefebvre calls central to the organization’s success.
“In the case of Diane, Diane is like a rock star at Portage,” Lefebvre said. “People come in knowing that other people have gone through exactly the same thing.”
She said Levesque’s progress came from trusting the process and accepting support from both Portage and youth protection.
“It’s both agencies working together in helping Diane … that makes what Diane is today with her child,” she said.
A sign inside the Portage treatment centre is shown on Nov. 26, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A message to those who feel afraid to seek help
Lefebvre said Portage welcomes people without judgment.
“Just open, open heart, open mind,” she said. “We want to know what you’re going through … make sure that you feel welcome, make sure that you feel heard and make sure that you feel that your needs are met.”
She said treatment can change a life faster than people expect.
“Help in our program works so please give it a try,” she said. “Diane has been here nine months, this has changed all her life. Some people are here three months, four months and it has a transformative effect for sure on their life.”
