Originally published on January 1, 2025. All data in this article may have been updated since the time of writing. "If I was ever at a risk of harming myself. That was it." Brandon Shaw thought he knew what to expect. He had detoxed from heroin and methadone a number of times, but this detox was different. Shaw spent 14 years on the streets, mainly in Edmonton. During his detox, he couldn’t swallow food and lost the ability to communicate.  “I literally thought to myself, am I going to be like this for the rest of my life?” says Shaw.  Shaw's mother, Angie Staines, exhausted every avenue and every resource available to ensure her son survived. She recalled staying by his side as he went through the turmoil, “And I remember...