About Pacific Trails Recovery
Our Mission
At Pacific Trails Recovery Society, our mission is to help people in recovery build lives they genuinely love through adventure and community. We empower individuals to thrive with purpose, friendship, and exploring their passions as part of their recovery journey.
Second-stage (or sober living) recovery housing provides continuing support after a person completes a primary substance-use treatment program. Individuals who transition back to independent living along a gradual continuum of care have a significantly higher likelihood of sustained recovery. Second-stage housing offers mutual support, accountability, and connection to recovery resources at an affordable cost.
Primary substance-use treatment programs are time-limited and intensive, with abundant professional and peer-based support. When a person graduates from primary treatment, an abrupt return to their former home environment can trigger a relapse. Aftercare is an essential component of substance abuse treatment and is most effective when it occurs in a supportive living environment.
Primary treatment equips people with the skills needed to maintain sobriety; second-stage housing provides a structured setting to practice and integrate those skills. It is designed with greater flexibility and independence so individuals can pursue personal recovery goals, such as returning to work or education, while remaining engaged in their recovery and proactive about their wellness. The model emphasizes mutual support and shared accountability.
Pacific Trails Recovery Society strongly values lived experience and peer support. An effective second-stage residence pairs residents firmly engaged in recovery with newcomers, providing mentorship and support. The combination of formal accountability and informal support promotes a sense of belonging.
Odyssey House - a seven (7) bedroom house in South Burnaby, BC located near major transportation routes and shopping areas.
Odyssey House primarily offers double occupancy bedrooms with one single occupancy bedroom. Monthly rate is inclusive of room and board. Residents are typically individuals who have completed a primary treatment program, and a key criterion for acceptance is a willingness to follow a strong personal recovery program.
To this end, residents are expected to attend three outside recovery meetings or activities and an in-house meeting each week. Residents are assigned chores, are expected to keep their living space clean, and help with cooking family meals. Odyssey House residents also participate in optional weekly group activities.
Pacific Trails Recovery Society is a community that empowers each resident to pursue a recovery path that suits their needs. Our residences offer both mutual support among the residents and the benefit of staff that are experienced in recovery. No two recovery paths are identical and so we use a person-centred approach to ensure each resident has effective recovery supports in place.
The Lower Mainland has a strong recovery community. There is an ample selection of professional support such as outpatient treatment programs, counselling and sober coaching. There are recovery-based sports leagues and recovery based events that take place on a regular basis. For those that seek the support of mutual support groups, there is a wide selection of meetings that take place multiple times a day.
About our Founders
Max Niemeyer
My name is Max Niemeyer and I am a recovering addict and alcoholic. I grew up in New Jersey, and although I have warm childhood memories of a loving family and exploring various outdoor activities, my addiction very quickly got out of control. I am a prime example that addiction does not discriminate. As a university student striving to become a doctor, I quickly fell victim to isolation, withdrawing from friends and family, and losing passion for outdoor activities that I loved to do.
Everything shifted when I went to a Treatment Centre in Colorado. The program was intensive and taught me several techniques to maintain sobriety. The most impactful component for me was the time spent on outdoor activities and the bonds I formed through them. After treatment, I flew to Vancouver, BC. to build an exciting new life. However, I had no family there and just one contact, a sober coach named Joey McGeough. Despite this, I took the risk and moved.
I transferred my studies to the University of the Fraser Valley and continued with my business degree and volunteered as a peer support worker at a large treatment center. Joey was a huge source of support as he introduced me to the recovery community and helped me to gain connections instead of isolating. I started to spend time outdoors again: skiing, hiking, rock climbing, and fishing. These activities, along with others, gave me genuine joy. Living out of a second stage house of this treatment center, I saw a community lacking in support, connection, accountability, and friendships. The constant relapses and poor retention rate lit a fire within me to open my own place where guys share authentic conversations, show up for each other, and keep each other accountable to recovery and their life goals.
From this conviction, Joey and I founded Pacific Trails Recovery Society. Our aim is simple: to create small, supportive homes where men in recovery build real friendships and re-engage in life. We help men step back into the world with purpose by going to work or school, learning new skills, and discovering pursuits that make recovery more than abstinence.
Joey McGeough
My name is Joey McGeough, and I’ve been working in the recovery field for over 10 years. Since becoming sober in 2015 after my own struggles with addiction, I’ve dedicated my life to supporting others on their path to recovery. My personal experience has given me a deep understanding of the challenges individuals face, and it has fueled my passion for providing compassionate, effective care.
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working in a variety of roles, including but not limited to, a Counsellor, Group Facilitator, Recovery Coach, and Client Care Coordinator at the largest treatment centre in Canada. These experiences have allowed me to support people at every stage of their recovery journey and to contribute to building programs that are both client-focused and trauma-informed. To strengthen my professional practice, I’ve completed numerous counselling courses through Vancouver Community College, and I’m also a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
I believe that connection, activity, and community are essential to long-term recovery. From 2021 to 2025, I served as Vice President of the Rec Recovery Soccer Association, an initiative that promotes physical health, teamwork, and social connection among individuals in recovery. It’s programs like these that create a sense of belonging and purpose, helping people stay engaged in their healing journey.
I remain very active in the recovery community and am especially passionate about advocating for individuals who struggle with concurrent disorders and the marginalized population often forgotten about. I believe that everyone deserves access to quality support, free from stigma and shame. My personal and professional life is a testament to the power of recovery, which has not only allowed me to help countless others but has also enriched my own life with strong friendships, a loving wife, and a daughter.
We have formed partnerships with these specific organizations as they provide specialized services for those who are in recovery. Our residents are encouraged to create a recovery path that is tailored to their specific needs. These organizations provide unique services and have been proven to be beneficial. These organizations are external to our organization and will charge separate fees for their services:
Crossing the Threshold Crossing the Threshold provides sober coaching, recovery support and counselling services. Individuals benefit from sober coaching due to its semi-structured, individualized approach intended to address their specific life needs after treatment. Crossing the Threshold has been in operation since 2021 and has benefited many people in recovery.
Missing Link Recovery Solutions: Those in recovery often become deficient in their nutrition which affects their brain chemistry, Missing Link offers amino acid therapy, and nutritional counselling on the most effective solutions to renourish the brain.
Missing Link Recovery Solutions
Neurofeedback: Neurofeedback therapy consists of using EEG monitoring to reduce the underlying causes of many conditions. Many individuals in recovery have greatly benefited from this therapy mode.