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InnerVisions Recovery Society
By Nicole Zummach
April 28, 2008
COQUITLAM, BC // Addiction is so prevalent in our society it seems that almost everyone is trying to kick some habit or another. But for many suffering from serious drug and alcohol addiction, it's not that simple. They need someone who can help them through the process of getting sober, someone like Billy Weselowski.
Before starting InnerVisions Recovery Society in 1991, Weselowski was himself an addict living on skid row, so he understands what that life is like and what it takes to break free. His no-nonsense approach to recovery has helped countless people regain control of their lives, and his organization has received numerous honours, including the Donner Award for Excellence in the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. CharityVillage spoke with Weselowski about the early days of InnerVisions, his approach to helping addicts and understanding the root causes of addiction, and what it takes to succeed.
CharityVillage: What inspired you to establish InnerVisions? It sounds like a very big undertaking for one person.

Billy Weselowski: Well, it wasn't all that big of an undertaking. I started with a pickup truck and I had enough money to rent half of a duplex. You know, I love drug addicts and I lived on skid row for 20 years so I was pretty limited in my own skills at that point. But I just really believed in something that had happened for me, and I think that you should always tell drug addicts the truth even though it can be difficult at the outset. And it is important to stress the very committed board of directors who have been outstanding with their time and commitment to Innervisions. They are truly warriors and certainly understand the real problems we are dealing with.
CV: Were people responsive when you were first starting out? What was it like in the beginning?

BW: I didn't have a business plan or any money, but I had a really good reputation at the detox centres. The workers knew me because I was working at another recovery house. And the bottom line is that I didn't have anything to lose or prove. We started with four mattresses and four beds. But we were extremely rigorous. I'm quite fanatical about timeframes and when we're doing the deal, we're doing the deal. Group started at exactly nine o'clock, and I remember the first group I ever did was with one guy. But it was about anchoring that rigor. It's about being clean and sober; it's about abstinence.
CV: You provide a 60-day treatment program at your recovery houses. How did you develop this model?

BW: Well, you've got to remember that we just turned 17 years old, so we are always trying and figuring out new things to improve the service so that people can not only stay sober while they are in the facility, but stay sober when they leave, and have some dreams. That's what it's really all about.
CV: Do you have a sense of what your success rate is? Do you do any long-term evaluation?

BW: The outcome measures for the completion of our 60-day program is a highly indicative number. That number will tell us that the person completed the rigor of our 60-day intensive program, and that is somewhere up around 75% to 80% for men, and 63% for women. I actually conducted a trial and followed up with about 100 men who had been asked to leave the program. But when they needed a place to be, where do you think they phoned? And why would they call us? That's the question.
People will say, "Oh, it's too rigorous. It's too structured." That's bullsh*t! You're a drug addict; you're dying! And the other thing that's really amazing is that we have never phoned anyone. They phone us. And I've asked people, "Why would you phone us? You said we're so bad to you, so structured, so rigorous." They say to me, "It's safe here, Billy." You know, it's pretty spartan but it's clean. We have an addictions doctor that is involved with us, and through him we have an addictions specialist. Part of it is that they can see I'm the real deal.
CV: What is it that sets your organization apart from other substance abuse treatment centres?

BW: Everybody that works in our centres is from the centre. There are no social drinkers allowed. That's our culture. So everywhere you turn, when somebody says, "You know what I'm feeling like?" It's like, yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I've been to a few penitentiaries and I've been down to skid row, and I did become pathetic.
CV: Why do you think people get to that point? What do you hear from the addicts you work with?

BW: The simplest version is that they didn't get what they needed. Some people didn't get what they needed from their parents. Some people had a tough time in school; they didn't feel good about themselves. Sometimes that was reinforced in negative ways. Often times alcoholism is a very generational disease.
CV: Do you think there is a way to fix these societal ills?

BW: Well, if you're speaking to me, of course there is! I do it one person at a time. We've gone from four mattresses to 69 treatment beds, including 25 for women. We've come a long way. We have a family program. Not connected to this society, we have safe housing that's available. We have a job club that people can have access to. And it's all based on need - what I see in front of me.
Can you put the ills into a blanket statement that everyone needs to debate? You're going to just get old and more people will continue to die. You have to realize, that is a huge industry in [Vancouver's] Downtown Eastside. You've got 83 funded organizations down there. There is a mentality down there that it is an investment. That's pretty brutal. That's pretty cold. But I'll let my record speak for itself.
I'll tell you something else that's really important, and I hope you put it in bold letters: There are no bad people involved in this play. There are none. If anything is the culprit, it's the goddamn disease of addiction. When someone is hitting the pipe ten or fifteen times a day, you're not even talking to that person. You're talking to the demon that says, "Give me more, and don't make me responsible for anything." That's the whole gig.
CV: What's next for InnerVisions?

BW: Right now we're trying to buy a piece of land to build a bigger treatment centre. We're really focused on helping people who want to help themselves. Everybody needs help, but a lot of people don't want any. The resources are scarce and we're dealing in human souls. The bottom line is that I'm really grateful for my sobriety and I'm really grateful for the team at InnerVisions.
Billy Weselowski is the founder and executive director of InnerVisions Recovery Society. His most recent accomplishments include the Golden Jubilee Medal from Her Majesty the Queen, multiple recognitions from the Addictive Drug Information Council for his contributions, and a one-year appointment to the board of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of British Columbia. Billy earned his Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Royal Roads University in 2004. For more information about InnerVisions, visit: www.innervisionsrecovery.com.
Would you like to see your organization in the Spotlight? E-mail Nicole at editor@charityvillage.com with your suggestions.