The Long Wait Begins
December 3 (Day 37) I’m really getting sick of this place – feeling kind of alone and isolated today –
Blog
The latest stories, documents and additions published in the Reggie MacDonald Digital Archive.
Moving On to Another Stage
November 28 (Day 32) I’m feeling kinda bored today; having thought about moving down to medium. The time might go
A Few Random Poems
Written ~ Nov. 28, 1998 Woe is me Here I am Confess your sins Mortal man Been in treatment For so long Never right Oh
The Defence Argument: One Relapse Shouldn’t End His Recovery
In October 1998, Reggie MacDonald was several months into a conditional sentence for trafficking in cocaine. The sentence allowed him
A Story That Needs to Be Told
Although Reg had violated the terms of his conditional sentence by taking drugs, and was now in jail, he was
Statement to the Court
I really fucking hope that this is my last day here. It’s not that things are that bad in here
Words Are Powerful Things
November 23 (Day 27) Today I’m preparing for my appearance in court. I’ve written some draft copies of a speech
My Final Weekend
November 20 (Day 24) Just another day here. They seem to be getting longer and longer. I gotta get outta
A Real Eye Opener
November 16 (Day 20) It’s Monday again. Another week begins, and I hope this week brings something good, some progress.
A Quiet Day
November 15 (Day 19) Very quiet day today. Spent most of the day playing Risk. Frankie was supposed to come
World Domination
November 13 (Day 17) Friday the 13th. So far, so good. I got up and won the game of Risk
Things Are Different in Here
November 11 (Day 15) Finally, I get the writing paper I’ve been waiting for (they ran out yesterday). Today’s a
Settling Into the Routine
November 10 (Day 14) Here I am, still in Sleepy Hollow. Things are getting routine and it’s getting harder to
The World Shall Be Mine
November 9 (Day 13) The thirteen day of my thirteen days here. Unlucky? I think not. It’s Monday, back to
There’s Always Tomorrow
November 8 (Day 12) Again, I sleep till 12:30, getting up just in time for lunch. Today we eat like
A Good Day Altogether
November 7 (Day 11) Today is Saturday and I slept in till lunch. I do enjoy this. I was telling
Strip Searched and Court Appearance
November 6, 1998 Today, I went to court. Before leaving I was strip searched (lest I try to smuggle something
The Day Before Court
November 5 (Day 9) Today is the ninth of my originally scheduled ten days here. Hopefully, but not likely, it
The Humor That Keeps Us Together
November 4 (Day 8) Well … I’ve been here for a week and I’m still not sure if I’m having
When in Doubt, Sleep
Today begins much like any other day in here. I get up just in time to rush to the kitchen
Nobody Understands Me
November 2 (Day 6) I slept in this morning and had to run to the kitchen for breakfast. I’m told
Dreams in the Dark
November 1 (Day 5) I awoke this morning feeling shaken and uneasy due to a dream (nightmare?) I had during
Learning the Rules of Jail
October 31 (Day 4) Again, I awaken feeling well rested, feeling good. Today is Saturday and we are allowed to
How I Ended Up Here
Morning again. I slept well and despite my circumstances I awaken feeling well and content. I had a good night’s
The Jaily Diary Begins
Reggie did not write on his first day in jail, so we pick up his story on Day 2. October
Remanded back to Sleepy Hollow
Following the violation of his parole, Reg was sent to Sleepy Hollow Correctional Facility, where he would be held until
Understanding the Pills in Reggie’s Jail Diary
Readers of Reggie’s Jail Diary will encounter a surprising number of references to pills—sometimes by brand name, sometimes by abbreviations
Reggie Violates his Conditional Sentence Terms
I returned to Talbot House but found that I had lost the sense of trust that I once had in
Post-arrest Rehab treatment
@ September 1998 – “If you want to sit around and talk about your “feelings” over endless cups of decaffeinated
Reggie receives a Conditional Sentence
Reg had his day in court, and the Judge chose to give Reggie a conditional sentence. I have to say
Reggie gets his day in Court
Now, the legal issues. I had been charged with possession of cocaine (20 grams) with intent to traffic in May
Rehab self-biography
[Editors Note: Reggie enters Rehab in 1998. While in rehab, inmates are asked to write their life stories and how
Presentence Rehab Calendar
Reg started to write a daily journal during this period, which continued through his incarceration in Sleepy Hollow Jail June
Pretrial Rehab at Lonewater Farm, Mar-May 1988
… Severely depressed, and feeling that I just could [not?] handle life at the time I asked to be committed
Thoughts on AA Treatment
The following are some notes on Reggie’s thoughts on AA treatment … “If you want to sit around and talk
Talbot House Rehab
So I returned to Talbot House and life went on pretty much as it had during the past few weeks.
Charged with Cocaine Trafficking
What Reggie Was Facing The discovery of approximately 20 ounces of cocaine made this a very different situation from many
What I Didn’t Know About Reggie’s Criminal Record
While reviewing documents connected with Reggie’s later incarceration and parole, I came across this RCMP summary of his previous criminal
Operation Lampoon – the Reggie investigation
Police stakeout Reg & tap his phone Unbeknownst to Reg, the RCMP had launched an investigation into his drug activities,
The End of Days of Wine and Beer
Reggie’s business had been struggling for quite a while. When he first opened Days of Wine and Beer, it did
Reggie loses Drivers License
In the fall of 1997, Reg had his license suspended for 3 months. I believe that this was because he had
Heroin withdrawal in Iceland
Rationing the Heroin On one of my trips, (Nov 11, 1996), after I’d picked up my bag/ounce, I decided I’d
Reggie and Hepatitis C
During the years when Reggie’s heroin addiction was becoming increasingly serious, he was diagnosed with hepatitis C. For our family,
Overdoses on Flight
Editor’s note: By this point in Reggie’s story, his use of heroin had developed into a serious addiction. In “My
Depression, Treatment & Relapse
1997 Editor’s Note: After surviving an overdose on February 2, Reggie spent time in hospital and then went through detox
Mum Saves Reggie as He Overdoses
“Woke up surrounded by paramedics. I’m not sure if this was the beginning or the ending of the worst/ month
Reggie Opens Days of Wine & Beer
Days of Wine & Beer opened in Charlottetown in 1992. Reggie had identified a need that wasn’t being served by
Studying Avionics at NBCC
After trying several different directions in Toronto, Reggie eventually turned to a field that combined his aptitude for electronics with
Reggie on the Road
Reggie loved to travel. During the years when he had money to spend, he travelled extensively in Canada and also
Marriage & Honeymoon
July 1993 Reggie and Jean Get Married In the summer of 1993, Reggie and Jean were married at the Curling
Reggie Starts Selling Cocaine Seriously
1988 Around the same time that Reggie was establishing a home and beginning life as a father, another part of
Starting a Family on PEI
When spring arrived, Reggie returned to Prince Edward Island. His first attempt at starting over in Toronto had been relatively
A Technical Writer Ahead of His Time
While working and living in Toronto, Reggie continued trying to find a career that suited him. One of the directions
Reggie Becomes a Father
While Reggie was trying to establish himself in Toronto, something happened that would change his life permanently. He learned that
Building a Life in Toronto
By 1987, Reggie was living in Toronto and trying to establish a life for himself. His own year-by-year account of
Starting Over in Toronto
After the university drug bust, there was considerable pressure from our family for Reggie to stop dealing drugs and find
Jail / Day Parole / Treatment Facility
After Reg had served some time in Jail, his case was reviewed, and he was recommended for Day Parole, in
The University Drug Bust
February 1982 – In the second year, I pretty dropped most of my courses and focused on selling drugs. Too
Reggie Tries Heroin for the First Time
Editor: After being expelled from university residence following his drug arrest, Reggie moved illegally into a residence room shared by
Reggie Enrolls at University in Halifax
1984 – After I finished high school, I went to University – St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I
Dad goes for Alcohol Treatment
A couple days after the “Big Bust”, my father took the step that would change his life and agreed to
The Big Bust
December 30, 1980 – The “Big Bust” is the family term, for that day – his later busts were bigger,
Terrorizing the Principal
Reggie Really Disliked His Principal The things Reggie did in high school to torment his teachers and principal became legendary
Drugs and Declining Grades
Reggie had been a good student throughout elementary school, which in Souris included Grades 1 through 8. He began experimenting
Two Brothers, Two Roads
Looking back more than forty years later, I think that afternoon in Montreal was one of the turning points in
Hash in Reggie’s World
Hashish (“hash”) was common in the drug culture Reggie encountered while he was still very young. It became part of
“Quebecois”
For a couple of summers, our Montreal cousin, Mike, had been coming to Prince Edward Island with increasingly large quantities
Intercepting the High School Mail
Reggie Volunteers to Pick up the Mail This is one of those stories that still makes me grin and shake
Dad Tries to Scare Reggie Straight
Even at this relatively early stage, Dad was becoming seriously concerned about where Reggie was heading. The stealing, drugs and
Car Stereo Collector
I think it may have been a year later, I was in our basement and went into Reggie’s room. One
How I Got Into Selling Drugs
I’ve always been interested in making money and causing trouble. I was around twelve years old when I “went bad”.
The Shed
“The Shed” had originally been a playhouse or small cabin built for my aunt. Reggie took over this innocent little
His Montreal Cousin & Supplier
The MacDonald family diaspora extends across Canada, and every summer some of our first cousins from Montreal would come to
His Belief That He “Wouldn’t Get Caught”
Reggie’s involvement with drugs appears to have begun around the time he entered high school—Grades 9 through 12 in Souris.
Heavy Metal Music
Reggie was like many kids of his era: a big fan of the major rock bands of the 1960s and
Practical Jokes
He had a twisted sense of humour hose who knew Reggie knew that he could be very funny. We both
The Souris That Shaped Reggie
To understand Reggie, it helps to understand the place where he grew up. Souris is a small town at the
His Father, Jim Reggie Alec
Reggie and our father had a complicated relationship. They could be in serious conflict, particularly as Reggie’s drug use and
His Rumrunner Grandfather
Reggie often compared drug dealers to the rum-runners of Prohibition. When he did, I believe he was thinking in particular
Reggie’s Story, by Jim
Jim MacDonald, Reggie’s father, wrote this account after the recovery operation concluded. It is his recollection of Reggie’s life, the
The History of Me, Pt 2
Editor: Reggie wrote “The History of Me” while he was in treatment, but his account ends in 1996. His story
The History of Me
1966 Born in Souris Hospital. 2 brothers, 1 mother, 1 dog. 1967 cried and slept a lot 1968 don’t remember
My Story
Good things have been said about me, and bad things have been said about me. I’d like to say that
My Family
I was born like most other babies, in a hospital way back in 1966. I don’t recall much about this