Understanding substance use

Read about substance use through the lens of wellness, looking at the range of contributing factors that maintain the addiction, with the individual at the centre in terms of making sense of life and having self agency.

Heretohelp is a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. BC Partners' work is funded by BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority.

Read this B.C. government publication on harm reduction, the benefits of harm reduction and FAQs pertaining to harm reduction.

Learn about naloxone, where to get naloxone and where to receive naloxone training.

Find out how to create your own overdose drill. Our toolkit will help hone your skills in case you need to respond to an overdose.

Learn what to be aware of if you think a person is experiencing an overdose.

Watch how important it is to keep giving breaths to prevent brain damage in a person who is experiencing an overdose. This video was created and sponsored by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).

Watch this short video to learn the steps for using Naloxone. This video was created and sponsored by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).

This six-minute video highlights the importance of healthy supportive relationships and how they can mitigate substance use behaviour. It was adapted from English journalist Johann Hari's New York Times best-selling book, Chasing the Scream.

This one-hour podcast is from a MRTC family education event, facilitated by a MRTC counselling member on the topic of thinking about addiction in the context of coping.

This 15-minute TedTalk video from Johann Hari poses challenging questions about why society treats people who use substances the way we do, and if there is be a better way. Johann speaks from his own personal experiences living with family members who struggle with substance use.

This eight-minute video shares the stories of loss and about how the Moms Stop the Harm movement started. The organization advocates to change drug policies, such as harm reduction and legal regulation.

This course is offered through the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world's leading research centres in its field.

These two courses are offered for free through Fraser Health. To register, click on the link or contact a staff person at Family Support Services to help you sign up for the courses. Call Family Support Services at 1-833-898-6200.