Lethbridge Locations
85049 Range Road 212
Lethbridge, Alberta
85043 Range Road 212
Lethbridge, Alberta
Located in Calgary and Lethbridge Fresh Start Recovery Centre’s (FSRC) treatment program follows the disease concept: We see addiction as an illness that is progressive and often fatal if left untreated. The good news is that with treatment and a program of recovery, people can and DO live healthy, happy and productive lives. That has been our focus for the last 29 years as we provide solutions wh
ich support people moving forward in long-term recovery. With our treatment locations in both Calgary (men only) and Lethbridge (men and women) we are seen as a treatment leader not only in Calgary and area, but are recognized across Canada for the interdisciplinary approach we take to treating addiction. Our entire focus is on a recovery solution that is real, attainable and sustainable. Along with the two treatment centers, we currently have 46 post-treatment housing beds in two apartments in Calgary. Post-treatment housing clients are provided weekly check-ins with an outreach counsellor, peer support and are part of a strong alumni network. In all of our work, we remain constant to our core values: equality, empathy, trust, accountability, support, change, respect and individuality.
04/25/2026
We’re out at Calgary Harley-Davidson today for their Trike Event.
Proud to be here with one of our Community Champion sponsors for the 12 Stop Charity Ride for Recovery.
Calgary Harley-Davidson, alongside our presenting sponsor Grover Law Firm, and Community Champions Cochrane Toyota and Government of Alberta, are helping make this year’s Ride possible.
This is what it looks like when community shows up.
August 15, we ride.
And yes, you can win one of our two raffle motorcycles.
If you’re here today, you can grab tickets in person with cash.
Come by, say hi, and be part of something that goes beyond the ride.
04/25/2026
To every person who has given their time, shown up at one of our events, or simply believed in what we are doing here, thank you.
Volunteers come to us from every direction.
Community members, families, alumni, donors, people who have walked through our doors and come back to give something to the next person, and people who have never met anyone in recovery but showed up anyway.
You are not a footnote to this work. You are part of it.
The 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery, our Stampede BBQ, Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, open houses, sober dances, Gratitude gatherings, community events, and the quiet moments of helping clients with time, care, rides, meals, setup, cleanup, conversation, and presence all happen because people choose to give.
When volunteers show up alongside us, they help build the kind of community people need when treatment ends and life begins again.
That matters more than most people realize. Life after treatment is not a solo act. It takes connection, belonging, and people who are still willing to be there. Volunteers help make that real.
This is National Volunteer Week. If you have been thinking about getting involved, we would love to hear from you.
Recovery is possible. Community is what makes it last.
Calgary Lethbridge 12StopRide
04/25/2026
Warm up the grill and get ready to celebrate the real MVPs!
At Grover Law Firm, we know that mothers are the heart of our community. That’s why we’re throwing a Mother’s Day BBQ Bonanza, and you’re invited! Join us for an afternoon of great food, live music, and amazing prizes as we honor all the incredible moms out there.
The Details:
• When: Saturday, May 9th
• Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Where: Big Sky BBQ Pit (306016 15St E, Foothills AB)
What’s Happening:
• The Goods: Over $1,000 worth of giveaway prizes up for grabs!
• For Mom: Every mother in attendance receives a free rose to start her weekend off right. 🌹
• The Vibes: Enjoy a live band performance while you eat.
• Play Ball: We’re holding a special draw for free tickets to an Okotoks Dawgs game!
Whether you’re a mom, have a mom, or want to celebrate a mother figure in your life, come join us at the Big Sky BBQ pit. Let’s make this Mother’s Day weekend one to remember!
Tag a mom who deserves a day out in the comments below! 👇
04/25/2026
Today, we gathered in Lethbridge for Gratitude and celebrated a group becoming our newest alumni.
This is not the end of recovery. It is the return to life, community, responsibility, and connection in a different way.
They earned this ground through the work most people never saw. The early mornings. The hard conversations. The choice to keep showing up.
Now they take their first steps into life after treatment, carrying what they have built with support still around them and a community still beside them.
To our newest alumni, welcome. We see the work, and we don’t take it lightly.
You are not starting over. You are moving forward.
04/23/2026
Treatment is only part of the story.
What comes after it, where someone goes, who walks with them, whether there's a steady place to land, that's where recovery either takes hold or starts to come apart.
Bruce Holstead, our Executive Director, has been in this space for more than 25 years. This is what he knows to be true.
Recovery is not held together by good intentions alone. It needs consistency, relationships, and somewhere real to go.
If you believe in what comes next for people leaving treatment, support Fresh Start Recovery. Every dollar helps us stay in that gap.
freshstartrecovery.ca/donate
04/21/2026
She bought a ticket. Printed it that morning. Then her name was called.
Iris Mitchell did not know much about Fresh Start Recovery when she purchased her motorcycle raffle ticket.
Then she won the April 17 $1,000 Early Bird prize.
That moment was made possible through the generosity of Grover Law Firm, presenting sponsor of Fresh Start Recovery’s 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery, and with support from Fountain Tire, sponsor of this Early Bird draw.
Get your tickets here: freshstartraffle.com
When Iris came to our facility to pick up her winnings, we had the chance to meet her.
She was warm. Curious. Present.
She took time to learn about the work happening here and the people it supports. Before she left, she handed back a portion of her winnings with her own cheque.
No one asked her to.
She simply felt moved to give something back.
That matters.
It says something about who she is. It also says something about what can happen when people get a closer look at this work and what it means.
We are grateful to Iris for her generosity. We are also grateful to Grover Law Firm and Fountain Tire for helping create a moment like this and for standing behind recovery in a real way.
There are still 3 chances to win with the purchase of a motorcycle raffle ticket:
• July 10 — $1,000 Early Bird
• August 15 — Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
• August 15 — Yamaha R1M
One motorcycle raffle ticket keeps you in for every remaining motorcycle draw.
The final motorcycle draws will take place on August 15 at Fresh Start Recovery’s 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery.
The next Early Bird draw is part of our 50/50 raffle on Friday, June 19, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.
A separate 50/50 ticket purchase is required for that draw.
Purchase your tickets: freshstartraffle.com
Together, Without End.
04/21/2026
This Friday, we gather in Lethbridge for Gratitude.
You can see it in this moment.
Not where it started.
Further up.
Ground that had to be earned.
Every step matters.
The hard ones. The uncertain ones. The ones no one else saw.
That’s what this is.
Not the end of recovery.
Life in it.
Stronger footing.
Clearer direction.
Still moving forward.
Still supported.
This is what life after treatment looks like.
Join us on Friday at 1:15 PM in Lethbridge.
If you’re in Calgary, join virtually or gather with the community there.
Email Rene@freshstartrecovery.ca for the link.
You are not starting over.
You are moving forward.
04/20/2026
Alumni, join us this Wednesday for Step & Topic.
Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Belief 4: We believe no two individuals can or will have an identical program of recovery, thus each individual’s program of recovery is worthy of respect.
Topic: Courage
Step 4 takes courage.
Not because it asks for perfection.
Because it asks for honesty.
A real look at what we carry, what has shaped us, and what still needs to be faced.
That kind of courage does not look the same for everyone.
And it does not need to.
Recovery does not stop when treatment ends.
It continues in gratitude, service, and community.
In connection.
In the choice to keep showing up.
That is part of what this meeting is about.
Join us on Wednesday at 6:30 PM for another evening of shared recovery, reflection, and connection. This week is hosted by Calgary. If you’d like to join online, email Rene for the link.
You are no longer alone.
We are together, without end.
04/18/2026
Gratitude yesterday wasn’t a finish line.
It was a moment where things became clear.
You could feel it in the room.
Families standing beside the people they’ve walked this with.
Not just watching. Part of it.
Some left ready to head home across Alberta.
Some back to the NWT.
Some into Recovery-Oriented Housing.
Some stepping forward without a clear next step yet.
All of that is real.
Different paths. Different pace.
Same foundation.
Because one thing didn’t change.
They know where they belong.
At Fresh Start.
In the recovery community across Alberta.
Not just in a building.
In something they can come back to.
In person. Online. Calgary. Lethbridge.
It holds.
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It comes from people showing up.
From families staying in it.
From a community that keeps its word.
This is what continues.
Connection.
Reflection.
Growth.
And a place to stand when things aren’t certain yet.
You are no longer alone.
Together, without end.
04/18/2026
Today, we attended the grand opening of the Blood Tribe Iitakamotsiipiohsopi Recovery Community.
75 beds. The first Indigenous-led recovery community in Alberta. Four more are coming. When all are open, 375 culturally grounded beds will be added to this province’s recovery system. Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson were there to mark the occasion, alongside the Mayor of Lethbridge, the Mayor of Cardston, Blood Tribe Department of Health CEO Kash Shade and so many leaders from the Blood Tribe and Indigenous communities across the region. That kind of presence signals something. This is not a small commitment.
What has been built reflects who they are. Culture, language, ceremony, and land-based healing woven into the program itself. Recovery that does not ask people to leave themselves behind. That is not a small thing.
When more doors open, more people get help. That is worth showing up for.
Lethbridge knows loss. The Blood Tribe knows it deeply. This opening is a direct response to those losses. Built by the community. For the community. With the commitment of a province that is investing in what recovery actually looks like for Indigenous people in Alberta.
We look forward to more collaboration with the Iitakamotsiipiohsopi Recovery Community and Blood Tribe Department of Health and we are glad to grow alongside them. More recovery in this region means more people find their way back. That is the work.
It was meaningful to be in the room with representatives from the Lakeview Recovery Community and the Calgary Recovery Community, operated by Last Door Recovery Society. Both have opened over the last couple of years, adding 150 beds across Central and Northern Alberta. Recovery communities showing up for each other. That is what this looks like when it works.
We are grateful to the Government of Alberta for their leadership and investment in making this possible. Alberta has 75 more reasons for hope today.
YourAlberta (Government of Alberta) Blood Tribe Department of Health Blood Tribe Police Service Blood Tribe Communications - Tsinikssini Rick Wilson
04/17/2026
Fresh Start Recovery’s Annual Stampede Barbecue
July 10, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Last year, you showed up in a big way.
It was the largest crowd we’ve ever had.
And it reminded us what this community looks like when people come together.
We’re grateful for that.
We also learned from it.
This year, we’re planning ahead.
More food stations. Inside and outside.
More space to move.
More thought behind the day so your time is respected.
Because it matters.
This isn’t just a barbecue.
It’s a moment where alumni, families, supporters, and community come together.
Where connection continues beyond treatment.
Where we keep showing up for each other.
That’s part of how we do the work.
Providing solutions. Building community. Supporting long-term recovery.
Join us July 10.
Live music
Petting zoo
Face painting
Mechanical bull
Tipi raising
And the food you’ve come to expect
Lindsay Graftaas didn't win because he needed the money.
He won because he bought a ticket to support his son's recovery.
Lindsay's son Rene is our Outreach Manager at Fresh Start Recovery. He's also in recovery himself. And when Lindsay talked about what Fresh Start has meant to his family, the $500 Visa gift card was the last thing on his mind.
That's the kind of win that actually matters.
Tomorrow, April 17, someone wins $1,000. Deadline to get your ticket is midnight tonight.
One ticket. Every draw. All the way to August 15.
Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST. Yamaha R1M. More than $100,000 in prizes on the line. Only 12,500 tickets available.
Thank you to Fountain Tire for sponsoring tomorrow's Early Bird draw. Their support makes this possible.
Get your tickets before midnight:
freshstartraffle.com
Presented by Grover Law Firm as part of Fresh Start Recovery's 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery.
Community Champion Sponsors: Cochrane Toyota, Calgary Harley-Davidson, YourAlberta (Government of Alberta).
Fresh Start Recovery is Providing Solutions to Save Lives.
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Mission: “Fresh Start is recovering lives by Housing, Treating and Supporting people affected by addiction.”
Vision: “Every individual - Recovery for life.”
Fresh Start Recovery Centre is an abstinence based, adult men’s addiction treatment centre using the 12 Step model of recovery as our base for treatment and supported within a bio-psycho-social model of therapy. The chronic disease of addiction (including alcohol) is at the core of many of our community issues. Fresh Start Recovery Centre offers comprehensive programs that support people from all walks of life; our doors are always open to anyone who wants recovery.
Fresh Start has been operating in Calgary since 1992 and is recognized as one of the top three treatment centres in Canada (a Donner Canadian Foundation Award Top 3 Finalist for the Treatment of Alcohol and Substance Abuse since 2006 and THE TOP AGENCY in 2010, 2013 & 2014*), a Charity Intelligence Canada Top Pick and Four Star Agency for Homeless Prevention since 2007, and the 2012 Calgary Award Winner for Outstanding Community Advocate Agency.
Our staff is integral to the success of Fresh Start. With over 300 years combined recovery experience, our dedicated team draws on both personal and professional experience to each and every person we serve. Our insight, compassion and understanding of addiction and recovery allow us to not only offer our residents a home, but also make them part of a recovery family.
Our Family Healing Program (FHP) is available for anyone affected by someone else’s addiction. Our FHP runs over a five week period, one night a week. See website for upcoming start dates.
