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Cheryl Peever of Toronto
Social worker confronts and conquers her addictions, and now uses her empathy, compassion and care to help save others.
Cheryl Peever is an empathetic friend, an excellent social worker, and a devoted colleague. She’s also a fighter who had
the courage to come back after many years of substance abuse.
Cheryl took her first drink at 13, marked her first years of adulthood with regular marijuana use, and was free-basing and
injecting cocaine by 30. It was also around this time that she became suicidal. She wanted to get clean but she was convinced
she would die first. She decided to call Cocaine Anonymous – a call that saved her life. With hard work and determination,
she was able to stop using drugs and achieved what she once deemed impossible.
She hasn’t stopped achieving since. Cheryl went back to school and completed her masters in Social Work at the University
of Toronto. Today, she is the Manager of the Women's Mental Health Program at CAMH. and throughout her recovery has been
relentless in helping others like herself.
Cheryl started an anger management group in a community based youth facility and helped develop three, half day workshops
on ‘concurrent disorders’ (when substance abuse is concurrent with mental health problems). She is part of a committee called
the Concurrent Disorders Assessment Tool Project that helps to ensure people across Ontario are screened for mental illness
and substance abuse.
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Centre for Addiction
