“I can remember one night my dad drove to a building in the middle of nowhere. He told me he’d be right back.” Riccardo remembers waiting for hours in the truck while his dad, John, got high.
Riccardo’s addictions began gradually – from drinking wine at the dinner table with his family to smoking weed every day. Looking for a better high, he eventually tried cocaine.
“That brought me to the lowest point of my addiction.”
Desperate for change, Riccardo entered Teen Challenge in 2008. It changed his life – but the story doesn’t end there. After years of Riccardo praying that his father would get help, John joined Teen Challenge in 2013.
“I remember judging my father growing up, thinking I am never going to be like that guy, to wishing I could be a quarter of the man he has become today,” says Riccardo. “Teen Challenge gave us freedom from addiction. I am so proud and thankful!”
Long Story Version – 7 Minutes
short Story Version – 5 Minutes
“Teen Challenge gave us [my father and I] hope for a future… it gave us our lives back.”
“Teen Challenge gave us [my father and I] hope for a future… it gave us our lives back.”
— Riccardo Benigno, Teen Challenge Canada Graduate
— Riccardo Benigno, Teen Challenge Canada Graduate
